


Looking in a Mirror

by bluetigerlilies



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: All those warning tags, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Dave and Klaus own a book shop and Dave is a science fiction author, Everyone Is Alive, F/F, F/M, Family Bonding, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Klaus has to learn how to be a Dad, M/M, Mental Health Issues, No Apocalypse (Umbrella Academy), No Beta, No Incest, Parent!Klaus Hargreeves, Past Drug Addiction, tags are subject to change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:07:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 42,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26216128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluetigerlilies/pseuds/bluetigerlilies
Summary: Klaus was finally starting to enjoy his life. He was sober, married, owned a book shop, and slowly mending his relationships with his estranged siblings. It seemed the universe was finally giving him a break. That is, until a mysterious and dishevelled girl showed up at his door claiming to be his daughter.
Relationships: Allison Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves, Ben Hargreeves & Diego Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves, Klaus Hargreeves & Everyone, Klaus Hargreeves & Original Female Character(s), Klaus Hargreeves/David "Dave" Katz, Sissy Cooper/Vanya Hargreeves
Comments: 77
Kudos: 146





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Idk what's going on with the tags. It's shuffled them around for some reason.  
> This fic is just a little idea I've had for a while. First chapter is a little slow, but things pick up soon. Also, I'll likely be adding more tags and warnings as I upload more chapters.  
> Feedback is much, much appreciated! I'd love to know if anyone else is a fan of Dad Klaus!
> 
> I also have a tumblr @frogsarebxtches.tumblr.com !! Pls come visit and talk to me about TUA! I'm shy too, dw!

It was late Thursday evening when Klaus finally closed up shop. He’d just finished counting the till, telling Dave to head up to the apartment and take a break, and he was getting ready to put on a pot for his evening tea. Hmm, maybe jasmine tonight.

He blew a kiss to the door for good luck, a ritual he’d begun to do shortly after he and Dave bought the shop after they got married. It was a small book store in the west end of the city, sort of tucked away but accessible enough that they got enough customers to get by. It was hard, though. They sold a mix of used and new books and, upon request, some comics. Klaus wasn’t super keen on that idea since he had his own history with comic books that involved, well… being pretty famous, for reasons he hated to remember. No one had asked them to order any copies of The Umbrella Academy comic books, but Dave reassured him that if anyone would ask he would simply tell them he was unable to find a copy. He loved his Dave.

Perhaps their most prized possessions in the shop were Dave’s own books. When he wasn’t working in the shop he was writing science fiction novels. He would plant himself anywhere in their apartment with his typewriter and just go at it for hours and hours. Klaus would often have to remind him to eat, or interrupt him every once in a while to give him some fresh coffee. Dave was ever grateful, of course, and would tug Klaus down to sit beside him or on his lap as he went over whatever he was working on. Klaus loved it, in honesty. It was absolutely adorable how Dave’s face would light up when he told him about his ideas. He’d written and published three books so far, but had since hit a bit of a wall. He was struggling with his fourth book, wanting to make a series, but he hadn’t written much yet.

Stepping away from the now locked shop, Klaus tucked his hands into his sweater sleeves and wrapped his arms around himself in a sudden shiver and hurried to the staircase to his left. Ugh, he hated February.

He slammed the door behind him when he entered their apartment, shooing the cold out and running to the couch to grab the wool blanket he remembered was draped over it.

“Hey!” Came Dave’s voice from their small kitchen.

Klaus made a noise back, muffled into the blanket, before piping up, “Oh! Can you put on a pot for my tea-”

“Already did,” Dave beamed as he came into the living room, two mugs in hand.

Klaus slapped his hands over his mouth and cooed, “Ahh, thank you, Davey. What would I do without you?” He took the mug from Dave’s outstretched hand and held it close, letting the steam warm him up.

“Shop closed up?” Dave asked.

Klaus nodded, taking a sip and jumping when it burned his tongue.

Dave thanked him and kissed the top of his head, ruffling his hair with his fingers, “I made pasta. Feeling sort of lazy tonight.”

“Pasta’s great!” Klaus smiled, already drooling. He made his way to the kitchen to grab himself a plate.

They sat across from each other at their tiny table, picking at their rigatoni and making conversation, laughing occasionally at inside jokes. When they were finished their food, Klaus gathered their plates and Dave went quiet.

Klaus noticed as Dave’s eyes drifted to the table. He dumped the dishes in the sink with no intention of washing them, and was about to ask him what was wrong when Dave spoke first,

“Klaus,” he started. He seemed nervous, showing those telltale signs Klaus could immediately recognize. He worried his hands and rubbed his knuckles, hunching his shoulders slightly.

“What’s up?” Klaus smiled, hoping it would make Dave feel a little less nervous.

Dave smiled back and let out a small breath. He cleared his throat, “I think we should, uh… there’s something I wanted to talk about.”

Klaus crinkled his brow in confusion. He grabbed his chair and scooted it so he was sitting at Dave’s side, facing him. He waited for Dave to speak.

“You know how, uh… we have that spare room?”

Klaus nodded, “Yeah. I was going to get Diego over here to help me move all the crap in there, I swear. So you could finally use it as a writing space!” He raised his palms jokingly.

Dave chucked, “No. No, that’s not… I was thinking,” he cleared his throat again, “we could--if you wanted--maybe turn it into…”

“A sex dungeon?”

“A nursery.”

Klaus’ jaw tightened on reflex. He sucked in a breath through his teeth and looked away from Dave’s face, blinking. His chest felt suddenly tight.

“Hey, hey,” Dave said smoothly, reaching out to him, “We don’t need to decide anything now, I just feel like we should talk about it.”

Klaus pinched his lips to the side, meeting his eyes again, “We have talked about it.”

Well, sort of. They had joked about having kids in passing. Silly things like, ‘ _Haha, our kid would be such a nerd because of us_ ’ or ‘ _Our kid wouldn’t be raised with stupid made-up gender roles!_ ’. Klaus just assumed they would have kids eventually but never actually put any thought into it and what that entailed. It was a passive thought that he could put away for years and not worry about… until he had to.

“Klaus?”

Klaus snapped his head up, eyes wide. He hadn’t realized he’d spaced out. Dave was holding his elbow gently, looking at him with those knowing eyes. Damn it.

“Dave…” he began. He wasn’t entirely sure what to say, but he didn’t want to say what he was feeling. He just wanted to put this conversation to bed and not have to revisit it for a long time. However long that would be, he didn’t care. Just not now. He held Dave’s face in his hand and opened his mouth but no words would come out.

Dave smiled a gentle smile that always made Klaus feel warm. He nodded, “I know.”

Apparently that was what Klaus needed to hear because it made his chest flutter.

“It’s okay,” Dave said gently, taking his hand, “We don’t have to talk about it now.”

Klaus wasn’t sure what to say. He felt relieved, but couldn’t shake the small pang of guilt in his gut. “I just need to think,” he said finally.

Dave nodded and pressed a kiss to his cheek, “Of course. It’s okay.”

Klaus didn’t sleep well that night. Not that that was abnormal for him, but this time it felt different. Instead of drifting in and out of restless nightmare-infested sleep, he just couldn’t close his eyes. His brain was swimming with thoughts he tried to push away, and he was afraid that if he fell asleep those thoughts would take over in his dreams.

Well, he was right. He dozed off around 4 AM after creeping into the living room, careful not to wake Dave. He was sitting on the couch with his knees up to his chest, watching some nature documentary on mute when his head fell back. The last thing he remembered seeing was a litter of rats. A Mom and her babies. She ate them as his eyes drifted closed.

He dreamt of his father.

Dave woke him up a few hours later with a kiss to his forehead. He startled, groaning at the shock of pain in his neck from sleeping with his head tipped back.

“I’m going to open up the shop,” Dave said from the kitchen. Klaus could smell fresh coffee. “Are you meeting your brothers for breakfast this morning?”

Oh, shit. Klaus hopped off the couch, knees screaming in protest when his feet hit the hardwood floor. He hurried to the bedroom to grab something to wear, not bothering to shower. He tied his shoulder-length hair into a lazy bun at the back of his head.

They left the apartment together. Klaus shivered as they made their way down the metal stairs, carefully avoiding the icy patches. When they reached the landing, Dave took his own scarf off and wrapped it around Klaus’ neck. Klaus felt like he should say something.

“Dave…” he started, but didn’t think of how to finish.

Dave offered him a smile as he zipped his coat for him, bundling him up just a little more. His glasses fogged up with the cold weather and his breath came out in a little cloud when he spoke, “Don’t worry. Just enjoy your breakfast and we can talk again when you come back. But only if you want.”

Klaus’ knees almost gave out. He sighed in relief, but still felt the jitter of anxiety vibrate his body.

“I love you.” He said. Almost whined.

Dave smiled again, cheeks pink, and wrapped his arms around him, pulling him close.

“I love you, too.” He said into his hair. They kissed, then, letting their faces linger close.

Dave stroked his cheek before jingling the keys in his hand and moving to unlock the store.

“Be back soon!” Klaus grinned and slapped his butt quickly a few times. Dave turned to laugh in shock and Klaus ran down the sidewalk, slipping on snow.

He was the last to show up to Griddy’s, of course. He wasn’t really _him_ without a bad reputation.

“Hey, family,” he sang casually as he shimmied into the booth with ease, unzipping his coat.

In the seats across him, his brothers perked up. Ben raised an eyebrow at him. Diego rolled his eyes as he brought his coffee away from his lips.

“You’re always late,” Diego complained, “I got you a coffee, anyway. It’s probably cold.”

Klaus clapped his hands together in excitement, “Well thanks, brother-mine! Aww, and you remembered my order!” He took the coffee in both hands and gulped it like it was water.

“Yeah, it’s disgusting. I’m surprised your teeth haven’t fallen out yet, honestly.”

Klaus brushed him off. He knew it was hard for Diego to show affection, so he took the coffee gratefully. He turned to Ben and reached a hand out to tap his arm,

“So how’s life, Benny-boy? We missed you last time!”

Ben shrugged, smiling “Can’t complain. I’ve been busy.”

Only Ben would enjoy being busy. Klaus was personally beyond happy in his role as a part-time house husband. Ben worked at the publishing company that published Dave’s books. It didn’t surprise Klaus that he got the job so soon after finishing school. Ben liked to throw himself into work. Plus he was a total bookworm.

“Can we please order?” Diego said through his teeth, “I’m hungry.”

Klaus turned his attention to his angry brother. He seemed to need some cheering up. “What’s goin’ on, Di? Confide in ole Klausy.”

Diego murmured something inaudible and shuffled uncomfortably. He balled his hands into fists and held his mug to his lips before deciding not to have a sip.

“Is it Eudora?” Ben asked flatly.

“Huh?” Klaus asked, flicking his eyes from one brother to the other, “What happened?”

‘ _What happened now?_ ’ His brain said, but he pushed it away. Diego and Eudora weren’t always having problems, but they did have a history of breaking up and getting back together at the drop of a hat. Klaus knew they’d gotten engaged last summer, since he was the one who helped Diego pick out a ring. It had been a very exciting outing for him. Diego didn’t seem to know anything about jewellery, much less the kind the Eudora wore, so Klaus was happy to jump on the opportunity to help once Diego had asked him.

“We broke up. I think, for the last time.” Diego said, quickly and to the point.

Klaus’ jaw dropped, “What, no! How?”

Diego shrugged, avoiding his gaze, “I dunno, I guess it just happened.”

He seemed to want the conversation to end. Klaus fidgeted in his seat, hoping Diego would keep talking. He didn’t want either of them to ask him how he was doing. He didn’t want to have a mental replay of last night’s conversation.

“Wow, I’m really sorry, Diego.” Klaus said earnestly. Diego shrugged.

Klaus sipped his coffee eagerly, welcoming the buzz the caffeine gave him. Since getting sober, he’d swapped all the stimulants he used to take with caffeine. It wasn’t even close to the same, but it was something.

“What about you and Dave?” Ben asked, “How are things?”

And Klaus froze. “Uhhh,” he hesitated.

They looked at him with pinched expressions. It was concern--written all over their faces. Klaus hated it. It brought up something deep inside him. Memories of the precious few members of his family who bothered to visit him during his stints in rehab or in the hospital. It was only in the past few years that they began to look at him with such concern, although to Klaus it looked like pity. Before then, he would only be met with resentment if he got any reaction from his family at all. Still, he’d take resentment over pity any day.

“Well,” he swallowed. They wanted to know. He had to keep telling himself that. They were asking him how he was doing because they cared, not because they were hoping to find something to lecture him over. They cared.

“Dave and I had _the conversation_. You know...”

Diego flashed him a knowing look, nodding slowly. Ben looked from Klaus to Diego, obviously confused.

Klaus and Diego spoke at the same time,

“Kids.”

“Anal.”

Ben flushed, mouth open in shock and confusion. Klaus sputtered, trying to hide a sudden laugh.

“Ana--how do you think we have sex most of the time, Diego?” He asked incredulously.

“Okay!” Ben slapped his hands on the table and flagged the waitress over.

Klaus sat back uncomfortably when he noticed Diego wasn’t laughing. He was looking directly into his eyes, expression stoic. Klaus wished he could duck his head into his scarf like a turtle.

“You were talking about having kids?” Diego asked, eyebrow raised.

Klaus chose to look at the wall. “Yeah,” he swallowed, “Well. Dave brought it up. I kind of blew him off.”

Diego was silent for a moment. He was mulling something over in his mind, Klaus could tell. His eyebrows drew together in concentration and his gaze drifted.

“What did you say, though?” Ben asked gently.

Klaus sighed through his nose. “Nothing, really. I didn’t give him an answer.”

“Klaus…” Ben started. Whatever he was about to say was cut short when the waitress arrived and asked them what they wanted. Klaus was inwardly thankful. This conversation might have been better suited for Allison, who already had a child--and was the only one of all of them besides Vanya who did. Vanya had a stepson, but Klaus had only met him once, at Vanya’s wedding the year before. Klaus had seen Allison with Claire a few times, less so lately since Allison’s messy divorce. He saw how it tore her up--not being able to spend time with her young daughter. She loved her daughter more than anything, that was obvious. But she’d told him--only once, but Klaus had remembered--how she messed up as a parent. She reassured him that she had never felt more guilty and had vowed never to use her powers again. Still, it stuck with him. She was an excellent and loving mother, but what she did could not be forgotten. She used her powers on her daughter. It couldn’t be reversed. Klaus wasn’t sure what kind of father he would be, but he was aware of his flaws, and he didn’t particularly want to find out about all the ways he would inevitably screw up his hypothetical kids.

They finished their orders and sat in silence for a moment. Klaus could tell Ben was itching to speak by the way his hands twitched.

“Dora wanted kids.” Diego cut the silence, “Sometimes. She kept changing her mind.”

“Is that why you broke up?” Klaus asked, noticing a sudden churning in his stomach.

Diego shook his head, “Nah… That could have been part of it, but who cares at this point.”

“Did _you_ want kids?” Ben asked, biting into a doughnut. He always got to the point. Klaus raised his eyebrows at Diego as if to ask the same question.

Diego scoffed, “I dunno… I mean, I’ve thought about it, sure. Haven’t most of us? Thing is, I don’t w-want to…”

The unspoken words were clear between them. “ _I don’t want to mess them up like Dad messed us up._ ”

Klaus bit his lip and finished his coffee. The truth was, they all had the same fears. It would be a disaster. They would all make horrible parents, just like their father. At least Diego was so close with their Mom. He had a good parental role model. But Klaus, try as he might, could not shake the creeping fear of becoming his father. It’s inevitable, people sometimes say. We all become our parents, in the end. And his history of drug abuse, homelessness, and crime didn’t exactly set him up to be a good role model. His stomach dropped as he realized that any biological children of his would likely inherit his problems with addiction and mental illness.

He knew none of these things phased Dave. Dave was tough like that. He could handle anything Klaus wasn’t able to with ease, and happily so. It was one of the things Klaus admired about him the most--his strength. Dave had a lot of great qualities to him, but only he could spend night after night rocking Klaus to sleep after a string of violent nightmares and flashbacks and have it not break him. He’d been there when Klaus decided to get clean the last time. He’d taken care of him as he shook on the floor, pushing himself into corners as the ghosts slowly came back and crawled into his vision. And in the morning he made Klaus soup and tea, and ran his fingers through his hair, telling him he was strong. No one had ever told Klaus that before.

Klaus was torn. He could admit, inwardly, that the thought of having kids had crossed his mind in the past, if he saw dads with their little kids on TV or in the park where he used to sleep. But those thoughts were just a fantasy, and quickly died. But meeting Dave had sparked something within him. He made Klaus want to do silly domestic things like doing laundry together or watching a dumb show well into the night while they forgot about their piling dishes. And sure, maybe having kids was in there somewhere.

He got home sometime in the afternoon, with a paper bag of doughnuts. All Dave’s favourites, as a treat. Plus he felt guilty for blowing him off.

Dave was sitting behind the counter with his nose in an old paperback when the door jingled, announcing Klaus’ arrival.

“Hey, Davey-baby,” he smiled, sashaying into the shop and tugging Dave’s scarf off his shoulders. He plopped the bag of doughnuts in front of Dave, and he took them gratefully, letting out an excited, “Ohohoho.”

He hooked an arm around Klaus’ waist and pulled him in, planting a strong kiss on his lips. Klaus smiled against him. Their single customer flushed and flipped through a random book.

They were cuddling on the couch under the wool blanket and zoning out to an episode of The Office they’d both seen a hundred times, Korean takeout long forgotten on the coffee table, when Klaus decided to reopen the conversation.

Sitting up suddenly, Klaus started, “I want to tell you something.”

Dave paused the show. “Okay?” he said, running his hand over Klaus’ back, waiting for him to speak.

Klaus took a shaky breath. “The thing is… about kids? It’s not that I haven’t thought about it with you. And God, Dave, you would make the best dad. Like, the best of the best.”

Dave smiled, eyebrows up. He could tell Klaus was drawing it out. Damn it, nothing got past this man.

“It’s just…” he swallowed nervously, “With a dad like mine… I just don’t know if--I mean, what if I end up like that? What if I--um.”

“I know,” Dave reassured him. He pulled him down for a hug, petting the back of his head in a way that always calmed him down. Klaus returned the hug and sank into Dave’s shoulder, breathing in the fresh linen of his sweater and the familiar smell of his skin. “I know.” Dave repeated, “It’s okay.”

“I just…” Klaus started again, “I’m afraid, I guess.”

Dave nodded against his head. He moved them apart, just slightly, so he could look at his face, “Klaus, it’s okay. I don’t want to do anything you’re uncomfortable with.”

Klaus gave him a sad smile. “I mean… I don’t _not_ want-”

He was interrupted by four loud raps on the door. Klaus jumped, sucking in a breath. Dave craned his neck to look behind them at the door.

They looked at each other with puzzled faces, then behind them at the electric clock on the stove. 9:22 PM.

“I’ll get it,” Klaus said uneasily. He clambered his long legs over Dave’s on the couch and crept over to the door, bracing himself.

He certainly didn’t expect to see a young girl when he opened it.

“Hi,” she said confidently.

Klaus wasn’t sure what to say. He looked her up and down as she did the same thing to him, mirroring him. She looked fairly young, definitely a teenager. She was rather pale, with curly brown hair that was cut unevenly so it framed her jaw and shoulders at different lengths. Klaus was shocked to see that she was wearing only a spring jacket and some rather weathered grey jeans. The laces on her shoes had gone missing. She had no hat, gloves, or bag.

“Um…” Klaus started, “Hi. Who are you?”

The girl looked up at him with a smarmy face, “I’m your daughter.” She said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

And Klaus nearly passed out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to upload chapter two pretty soon after the first one. Enjoy!
> 
> Content warnings in the end notes.

“I’m your daughter.”

Klaus must have suddenly gone deaf because he couldn’t hear anything besides static in his ears and those words repeating in his head.

_ I’m your daughter. I’m your daughter. I’m your daughter. _ They stopped making sense quickly.

His legs felt like jell-o and his palms went clammy at their places on the door.

The girl snapped her fingers in his face.

“Hello? You good?”

Klaus shook his head, snapping himself out of whatever he’d gotten stuck in.

“Uh--what do you mean?” Was the fist thing that came to his mind.

The girl raised a thick eyebrow at him, “What? I mean you’re my dad. You didn’t know about me.”

“Yeah, I definitely didn’t.” Klaus almost laughed, but it came out more exasperated than he meant for it to. There must have been a mistake. There was no way.

“Klaus?” Dave asked from the couch, “Who is it?”

Klaus’ throat went dry. He wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Apparently he didn’t need to, because Dave soon got up and joined him at the door.

“Oh! Hello.” Dave said, being polite. Classic Dave. “Can we help you?”

“Yeah. Is it cool if I come in? Kinda freezing out here.”

“Of course,” Dave said, beckoning her in. Klaus turned his head to face him slowly, with a robotic tight-lipped smile. Had Dave gone mad? Dave caught his eye and shrugged at him, grimacing.

“Here, sit down. I’ll make coffee.” Dave rushed to the kitchen.

They didn’t even know who this girl was, but leave it to Dave to jump into host-mode instantaneously.

The girl plopped herself down on the couch, wet shoes still on. She stretched out, groaning, before sighing happily, “Fuck, it’s cold out there!”

“Okay,” Klaus planted himself on the coffee table in front of her, “So, who are you? What’s your name?” His ears were still ringing and he was still sweating, but he’d managed to keep his voice from shaking.

The girl looked at him with one eye, as if he was interrupting her nap, “Annick.”

“Okay, Annick. How old are you?”

She shuffled, bringing herself into a sitting position, “Eighteen,” she said proudly, tilting her chin up.

That was like a blow to the head. Klaus blinked at the floor, mentally counting backwards from his current age. He shook his head, curls bouncing into his wide eyes.

“How did you know where I lived?”

Annick snorted softly, “Easy. I guess you used to be famous, way back in the day, so it wasn’t hard to track you down.”

Klaus felt that churning feeling in his stomach again. Acid threatened to crawl up his throat and he swallowed, forcing it down.

Dave walked in then, with a mug of coffee. “Where’s your coat? Do you have a phone, or anything…?” Klaus could tell Dave was as nervous and confused as he was. He was just better at hiding it. Call it his customer service intuition, or maybe his upbringing. Dave had more practice than Klaus did when it came to being polite. Klaus had learned his fair share of etiquette and chivalry from his father, he just didn’t care at all.

Annick took the mug with grabby hands and sniffed the coffee. “Oh, I lost ‘em.” She said casually.

Dave and Klaus exchanged a look. Klaus leaned forward, not buying that for a second. He recognized the malingering tone, from himself. Although it had usually worked when he used it, but perhaps that was because he’d used it on people who didn’t bother to know him. That made it so easy, “Does your, uh--Mom know where you are?”

Annick lowered her mug and pursed her lips, eyes drifting to the floor. Green eyes. “No, um… she’s dead. So are my grandparents. I’m homeless.”

Klaus’ eyes widened at that and he looked up past Annick to meet Dave’s shocked eyes. Klaus flicked his tongue over his molars and Annick spoke again,

“I wanted to find you.”

Dave was waving at Klaus from behind her. When Klaus noticed him, he jabbed a thumb at the short hallway that lead to their bedroom. Klaus nodded, dazed, and slowly stood up. If he stood up any faster he would surely faint.

“Uh, be right back…” he muttered to Annick. She nodded and sipped her coffee.

Dave put an arm between his shoulder blades and guided him to their room. He might have been speaking, but Klaus wasn’t paying attention. He suddenly felt very restless and ill, and anxiety bubbled in his chest once his body recognized the feeling, a similar sickness to withdrawal. His mouth watered.

“W...what are we gonna do?” Klaus asked first, once they were alone. His voice was quiet and shaky, vulnerable. He hated it.

Dave stole a glance out their bedroom door, “I don’t know. But we can’t just throw her out. It’s below freezing outside and she’s all alone. No family or phone, and she probably doesn’t have any money.”

“Do you think that’s what she wants? We could give her some money and get her a cab.” Klaus whispered. Dave didn’t seem to like that. He looked at Klaus in shock. Oops.

“Look, she could be lying. I mean, did you see her? Dave, I used to pull shit like that to get money for drugs.”

Dave’s face pinched, only for a second.

“I mean, I didn’t pretend to be anyone’s  _ kid _ , but y’know, whatever works.”

“You think she wants money for drugs?” Dave folded his arms across his chest.

Klaus huffed, “Well… I-she doesn’t really look  _ all there _ , if you know what I mean . ”

“All the more reason not to turn her away.”

God damn it. Why did Klaus marry someone so charitable? For once, couldn’t Dave just be a little heartless? Klaus had had to do it many times in the past. He let it go, though, because he knew the reason for Dave’s charitability. Besides generally being a good person, Dave just couldn’t bring himself to turn people away, to disappoint them. Klaus had tried to convince him that it was okay to be selfish sometimes, but Dave never budged.

“Klaus…” Dave tried again. He took Klaus by the shoulders gently and turned him around so he could see down the hall into the main area where Annick was sitting on the couch. She was looking at the TV and fiddling with the remote.

“She looks like you.” Dave said.

Klaus squeezed his eyes shut. He knew Dave could feel him tense up and hold his breath. It didn’t matter. He let out a long sigh before turning back to his husband. He was right, but he’d hoped Dave hadn’t noticed. Silly of him. But still, his and the girl’s likeness easily could have been a coincidence. She had the same look that Klaus had as a teenager on the streets. Same dark red-rimmed eyes, pale lips, and greasy hair. She twitched the same way he did, too, eyes darting around the room.

With sudden motivation, Klaus marched into the living room. He knew if he waited a minute longer, he’d avoid it.

“Here’s the thing, uh…”

“Annick.”

“Annick. I’m really not looking to get arrested. Kind of had more than my fair share of arrests, so I’d like to avoid that as much as possible. So if there are any numbers at all that you know, I’ll let you use our phone to call them so you can get yourself somewhere safe.” Klaus spun on his heel and reached for the wall-mounted phone.

“Wait,” Annick said. He faced her. “I really have no one.”

That put a bitter taste in Klaus’ mouth. He looked over at Dave, hoping he would have some Magic Dave solution to all this, but Dave only looked back at him sadly. Great.  _ He _ had to talk.

“Alright…” he squeezed the bridge of his nose, “You can stay for one night. We have a spare room, there...” Annick grinned, clapping her hands. “But! We’re going to talk more in the morning and see if we can find a place for you to go.”

Annick thanked him, nearly spilling her coffee all over their yellow couch. Klaus waved her off. He really needed to not feel anything right now. His body vibrated with cravings and he resisted the urge to scratch at his eyes in an attempt to shoo them away. Maybe a hot bath would make him feel better.

They--Dave--cleared some boxes in the spare room and dug an old roll-up cot from their closet. Annick took the blanket from the couch, but Dave protested and gave her an armful of softer blankets. She thanked him with a wink, which make Klaus twitch, before she kicked off her dirty shoes and fell backwards onto the cot, letting out an obnoxious sigh when her head hit the pillow.

“You’re okay in here?” Dave asked from the door, mindful of her personal space.

“Yeah,” Annick grinned, “Thanks.”

Dave smiled back, “Of course, don’t worry about it. You just get a good night’s sleep.”

Klaus had to pull him away from the door because Annick was about to start up a new conversation.

“Good night,  _ Klaus _ !” She called after him. He hesitated, nervous.

“Night.”

With a heavy sigh, Klaus let his hair down and cracked his neck. He felt like shit. Purely. His body was tense with the urge to smoke and his throat closed up on reflex at the urge to swallow a pill. He mimed smoking a joint with his fingers, sucking in a full breath and letting it out slowly through pursed lips, eyes fluttering shut at the phantom high.

Dave unzipped his jeans from his spot on the bed and tugged them off, folding them carefully as he always did. He opened the dresser drawer Klaus was standing in front of, bumping his hip.

“You’re just gonna make your cravings worse if you keep doing that.” Dave reminded.

Klaus let out a breathy laugh, “Ehh, works for me.” He grinned lazily.

Dave let out a breath through his nose--a chuckle--and planted a wet kiss on the back of his neck, brushing his curls out of the way. Klaus hummed at the sensation, momentarily forgetting about the urge to smoke.

“Should we call CPS in the morning? Or… she’s eighteen. The police?”

Klaus flipped around, bruising his spine on the edge of the dresser. He looked at Dave in shock and shook his head, “No. No, no. I’m sure she knows someone who can help her. A friend, maybe.”

Dave nodded absently.

“Don’t worry,” Klaus tried to reassure him, placing a hand over his bare chest. He knew Dave would notice he was shaking, though. “I’ll see if I can get more information from her in the morning and then we’ll figure something out. She’s obviously... troubled.”

Klaus could tell Dave was resisting a smirk, “Maybe she  _ is _ your daughter.”

He gave Dave a flat look, “That’s not funny.”

Dave let himself smirk then, stifling a laugh. Klaus smacked his chest. He was lucky he was handsome.

“Okay, but… if she really has no one and she really has nowhere to go, what are we gonna do about your sister’s party?”

Klaus paused, mouth open. He’d forgotten about that. Vanya had invited the whole family to her farm to celebrate her first anniversary with her wife. The idea made Klaus a little uneasy--spending time with all of his siblings in one place. There was always tension, no matter what. And although his sobriety had certainly granted him some closeness with his siblings, they still had tons of problems to work out. Not that any of them seemed to want to. It was fast approaching, the party. He distantly remembered the email from Vanya stating it was on Sunday. The day after tomorrow.

Dave still looked unsure so Klaus smiled, feigning confidence. “Dave, I’m positive we’ll figure something out by then.”

That must have worked, because Dave didn’t mention Annick for the rest of the night. They got in bed, and Klaus pulled his headphones over his ears to drown out his thoughts.

A noise startled him awake and he reached up for his headphones on reflex only to find them around his neck, nearly strangling him. He sat up in bed, clutching his neck and squinting at the clock on his bedside table. It was just before 7 AM.

Klaus peeled Dave’s arm off his waist and crawled out of bed gingerly. He tugged on his sweatpants and his--Dave’s--cable-knit sweater that was draped over a chair in their room. Carefully, he reached for the bat he kept in his closet. He’d bought it years ago, after a particularly bad night terror. Dave didn’t complain as long as it made him feel safe.

He closed his bedroom door behind him, in full Mother Bear mode, determined to protect Dave, and crept into the open area. He flicked the light on and nearly jumped out of his sweatpants when he saw the figure sitting on top of his kitchen counter.

“Christ on a  _ cracker _ !” He shouted, clutching his chest and nearly dropping his bat on his foot. That would have been messy.

Annick let out a snorty laugh from her place on the counter, criss-cross-applesauce. She was rifling through a bag of frozen waffles, still in her dirty clothes but barefoot.

“Thought you were a ghost for a second!” She laughed.

Klaus puffed his cheeks out and placed the bat against the wall. Ha. She wouldn’t know why he found that amusing.

“What are you doing up so early?” He asked, scratching at the back of his neck to do something with his hands.

Annick shrugged, mouth full, “Didn’t sleep.”

Klaus frowned, “Like, at all?”

She shook her curly head, “Nope. I don’t sleep very well.”

Klaus raised his eyebrows. Huh. Guess they had that in common. With a heavy sigh, he decided to get down to business.

“So…” he started, “We’ll find you somewhere to stay today. I think there’s a youth hostel downtown…”

Annick immediately protested, leaping off the counter. She actually looked scared, Klaus noticed. Her eyes widened and she started to shake.

Looking at her, Klaus felt a twinge of familiarity, as if he’d seen her before, or known her facial features too well. He decided not to think about it. He pointed his attention instead to the dirt all over her face and under her nails.

“Okay,” he agreed. She visibly relaxed at that. “You can shower here, if you want. Then we can talk.”

She thanked him and shoved the bag of waffles to his chest, nearly winding him. She hopped--yes, hopped--to the bathroom.

“So, there are a few things I wanted to know,” Klaus began. Annick was sitting across from him at the small table in the kitchen. Her hair was dripping onto her shirt--Klaus’ shirt that he’d let her borrow--and it was curling in around her pale face. “First, how did you know… who I am?” What he meant to ask was ‘ _ Why do you think I’m your Dad? _ ’ but the green of her wide eyes made him shut his mouth.

Annick smiled as if he’d asked a stupid question, “My Mom told me. That, and I recognize you from these super old comic books and these reruns from an old talk show from, like, the 2000’s.”

Klaus’ eyes snapped shut as memories threatened to invade his mind. He did remember, although it was hazy. He, Allison, and Luther were guests on a talk show as teenagers, but he’d chased several benzos with half a bottle of vodka before they went on. Needless to say, his father was not too happy about that. ‘ _ Wooooorth iiit _ ’ he’d droned later that night, too far gone to care about the shrieking souls in the mausoleum he knew were with him, though he couldn’t see or hear them. He’d laughed about it, thinking he’d bested his father. ‘ _ Stupid old prick. _ ’

“Okay, I’m thirty-four. I’m not  _ super old _ .” Klaus said to distract himself. Annick still raised an eyebrow at his hands, crossed over the table, and he only noticed then that he’d been digging his nails into his arms.

“What about your Mom, then?” He changed the subject, clasping his hands together so he wouldn’t scratch. “What was her name?”

“Bridget.” She told him.

Hmm. Didn’t ring a bell. Klaus knew he was notorious for forgetting people’s names, but still.

“She was a meth addict,” Annick said bluntly, “My grandparents pretty much raised me before they passed away, if that’s what you wanna know.”

Klaus wasn’t sure what to say about that. Annick gave him a once-over, knowing expression on her face, and Klaus felt suddenly exposed. She’d noticed his twitching and scratching.

The stare didn’t last long, thankfully, because she hopped out of the chair and complained loudly, “You have no food, by the way. Can we go out to eat?”

Klaus scratched his ear and took a breath, “Uh, sure?”

Dave drove the three of them to a sandwich shop farther into town--a favourite spot of theirs. They took a seat at one of the booths, and Dave told Annick warmly that she could order whatever she wanted. She grinned back at him.

“Thank you, Davey.” She said sweetly. Cheeky.

Klaus’ head had started to ache on the drive there. He pressed his fingers to his temple and closed his eyes, hoping the darkness would help ease the pain, but it only made his anxiety rise. Dave squeezed his hand, which startled him a little. Maybe Dave asked him if he wanted water. Klaus could hardly keep up. He felt so tired, and so, so, confused. Too much had happened in the past two days and his mind couldn’t keep up. He looked across the booth at Annick. Every time he looked at her his stomach bubbled with that uneasy feeling, but he couldn’t look away. It was freaky. If he looked too closely at her face, his skin would start to prickle with goosebumps and he would shudder, a similar reaction to seeing a particularly gory ghost.

One of the waiters came up to them--Klaus recognized him as Danny, a young, timid guy. Maybe in his mid-twenties. He was the newest employee at the sandwich shop.

“Morning, guys. What can I get you? Oh, you’ve brought a new face.” He smiled shyly at Annick, who returned the smile with a toothy grin. There was that creepy crawly feeling again.

“Hey,  _ Danny _ ,” she smiled, reading his name tag, “I’ll have a  _ meat _ sandwich--sausage. And can you squirt some extra mayo on that?” She batted her long eyelashes at him, winking. Danny shuffled in place, visibly uncomfortable. Klaus wanted to kick her leg under the table. ‘ _ No, that’s child abuse, _ ’ he reminded himself.

“Uh, s..sure thing,” Danny muttered, writing her order down. Klaus snickered into his scarf at that. He could feel Dave flash him a look from his place beside him.

Dave ordered one of their vegan sandwiches--his favourite--and Klaus ordered a grilled cheese, too distracted to think up anything else or properly read the menu. Maybe he needed glasses. He remembered when Dave’s vision suddenly worsened. Came with aging, he guessed, mournfully. Danny took their drink orders next. Three coffees.

“What are you doing?” Klaus asked Annick.

“Klaus.” Dave whispered, flushed. A warning.

Annick tilted an eyebrow up, “What?” she asked innocently, then in a condescending voice, “Are you seeing things? You seem really tired.”

Seeing things. Klaus reminded himself to breathe as his eyes threatened to drift around the restaurant. There was a single ghost, sitting at a booth across from them and staring Klaus down with cloudy white eyes. She looked young, round-faced, with her long blonde hair tied back in a braid. Klaus’ face pinched and he forced himself to look away. Looking ahead at Annick, her eyes were flicking around the restaurant, too. They stopped when they landed on Danny, satisfied, and she grinned again.

Dave thanked him, taking his coffee. Annick licked her lips,

“Danny,” she said in a pouty voice, “So sorry to ask, but do you have  _ cream _ ?”

“Of course,” Danny said, and hurried to the kitchen. Annick smirked at Klaus, as if to say ‘ _ Watch this _ ’.

When Danny brought back the cream, she took it with a sweet smile and brushed her hands over his, “Thank you  _ so _ much.” She poured too much into her coffee, causing it to pour over the rim, and brought it to her lips, spilling it on her--Klaus’--shirt, all over her chest.

Dave startled, reaching across Klaus’ face for the napkins, “Oh! Are you okay?”

Annick let out a laugh, “Oh, shit! I’m  _ soaked _ !” She looked up at Danny and cupped her face in mock surprise, “Guess my shirt is ruined now, huh?” She arched her back at that and pulled the collar of the shirt to expose her collarbone. Danny flushed and looked to his manager at the counter.

Klaus was speechless. His first instinct was to laugh, but he couldn’t shake the urge to tell her to stop, to drape his scarf over her shirt. It was confusing. He felt his cheeks heat up and he realized it was embarrassment he was feeling. He might have been mildly mortified.

“Oh no, is that embarrassing?” Annick asked, as if she could read Klaus’ mind, but it was directed at poor Danny, “Shit, I’m sorry!” She dragged her hand down his arm and winked at him again.

Beet red, Danny apologized and left to get his manager, who came to their table in seconds.

“Miss, if you keep disturbing my staff and the other customers, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

Dave and Klaus sat with their mouths open.

Annick cocked her head at the manager, biting her lip in a grin with a challenging look in her eyes. Klaus recognized it as his own, the way he would look at his father, and it chilled him to the bone. She stood on top of her seat and spread her arms out, “Oh, am I disturbing the other customers? Any  _ Karens _ in here wanna take it up with me? No? See, no one cares!”

Klaus was speechless. He looked to Dave for guidance, but Dave was apologizing to the other people in the restaurant.

The manager asked Annick to get down, to which she replied by blowing a raspberry in his face. She stepped onto the table, then, and Klaus grabbed his coffee. She stomped, hollering, “Who’s gonna fuck with me? Any of you? You’re all pussies! And you’re dry, too! Ha! Dry-ass pussies!”

Okay, time out. Klaus stood up, reaching for her, “Annick, stop. That’s enough.”

“Nah, fuck you! You guys know this guy’s my dad?!” She laughed, pointing at him, “Klaus fuckin’ Hargreeves!  _ Him _ ! And I’d never even met him until last night! You all think I’m a crazy bitch, look where I came from!”

Klaus’ jaw clenched and he bit back the urge to argue. He caught some of the customers’ eyes and was relieved to see they looked confused. They probably didn’t know who he was, thank god. Being forgotten was sort of a blessing to him. He spoke calmly, “Annick, please get down.”

She bent down to flip him off, right in his face. Klaus’ eyes crossed to focus on it. The manager then grabbed her by the arm and tugged her down. “Out!” He shouted, and guided her to the door.

She laughed, hands in the air, “Alright, alright, I’m leaving!” She pranced towards the door and then stopped, “You know what?  _ Fuck _ all of you! Fuck each and every one of you!” She finished her performance by knocking over anything she could get her hands on and slamming the door.

Dave was apologizing to the manager when Klaus tugged him by the sleeve, trying to hide his face from the shocked and disgusted faces around him. He didn’t want to commit those expressions to memory.

Outside, Annick was already waiting by the car, trying to yank open the back door with a  _ clunk, clunk, clunk _ .

Klaus retrieved the keys from Dave’s pocket and unlocked the car. Annick slid into the backseat with ease.

Klaus got in the car last and let himself sink into his seat. Hearing his name had stirred up something sickening inside him. Something he tried to bury deep. He’d taken Dave’s last name when they married, telling him he didn’t want to have any ties to his father. Of course, no matter how hard he tried to forget, to rewrite, his father still followed him. He would hear his voice, sometimes, talking him into a corner, and Klaus would shrink and shrink and shrink.

_ Irresponsible. Imbecile. Look at the mistake you’ve made. This was your fault, Number Four. Your fault. I should have kept you locked away for the rest of your useless life _ .

Klaus covered his face with his hands, trying to breathe, and dragged his fingers from his forehead to his chin, scratching with his nails. His chest began to heave and he pressed himself into the seat, wanting to disappear.  _ Just let me disappear, it’s what you wanted _ .

Dave must have noticed his distress because he reached over and placed his hand on the back of his neck, stroking his skin and his hair. Klaus jumped at first at the sudden contact, but then relaxed into his familiar touch and allowed his head to fall back against the headrest. He let out a shaky breath and looked at Dave, giving him a small nod to let him know he was okay.

Poor Dave was gobsmacked. His eyes were wide and his face was flushed. He didn’t say anything, and instead turned the car on so he could blast the heat.

“What the  _ fuck _ was that?” Klaus tried to say calmly, but his voice cracked and shook. He’d turned around in his seat so he could face Annick directly. If Dave looked surprised at his question, Klaus was even more surprised at himself. Not long ago, he would have laughed his ass off at such a show. Encouraged it, even. In fact, he’d done something similar many times in many different places. It was fun, tormenting people. Sometimes it was fun to get a little attention, and sometimes he just wanted to scream at somebody. A consequence of putting on a funny-guy act for too long. So, why was he angry?

Annick blew air through tight lips. She had her feet propped up against the back of Klaus’ seat, one leg crossed over the other, and she was leaning so far back in her seat that the seat belt would have strangled her had she been wearing it.

“I unno, felt like it. Can we go to McDonald’s and get ice cream?”

Klaus barked out a surprised laugh. A fake one. “No, we’re going somewhere different this time. My choice.”

Dave looked at him, eyebrows high in confusion. Klaus shrugged at him, offering the same expression. Dave seemed surprised at his attitude and, a little embarrassed, Klaus was too.

Annick groaned dramatically, “Where, then?”

“I’m gonna get to the bottom of this,” Klaus said, “Dave, take us to that geneticist downtown. Y’know, the one in the ads.”

Dave obliged, albeit shooting him a concerned look, and pulled away from the curb. Klaus wanted to be cocky and smirk at Annick, to say ‘ _ Ha, ha _ ’, to get the last laugh. Instead, he brought his knees to his chest and bit his nails as he looked out the window. He didn’t know what he would do one way or another, whether the test came back positive or negative, but he knew that he needed to find out if she was really his. If she was, he would worry about everything that entailed when he needed to. But if she wasn’t, then he would help her find a place to stay and they would never have to see each other again. He could go back to his cozy apartment with Dave and read over Dave’s rough drafts while he practiced his marinara sauce recipe, and he would meet up with his brothers twice a week and go to NA meetings and be the perfect model of sobriety, and he would soon forget about the whole thing. Just like he was trying to do with everything else in his past. His head thumped against the cold glass of the window as he drifted in and out of a light sleep.

The test was quick, at least. Klaus was thankful for that. He hated hospitals and labs and anywhere involving medicine. He kept his eyes on the ground nearly the whole time, only looking up when he needed to, to speak with the geneticist, or maybe she was a technician. Dave sensed his stiffness, as he always could, and draped an arm over his shoulders and squeezed him close, running his fingers through his hair. That calmed him down a bit, at least. Annick was restless as well, eyes darting about and legs swinging as she sat. She picked at her nails and bit the insides of her cheeks. Klaus wanted to touch her, for some reason, but he kept his hands wrapped around himself.

Once the test was done, they stepped outside into the cool air and Dave said something about grabbing them some lunch, since they didn’t get to eat yet. Klaus agreed, and noticed Annick was missing.

Klaus found her leaning against the side of the building, smoking a cigarette. He scuffed his boots in the snow, mentally arguing with himself about walking up to her. Eventually, he took a deep breath and made his way towards her, leaning against the wall beside her.

She wordlessly offered him a cigarette, and he puckered his lips in thought, staring it down. “Ah, what the hell,” he said, holding his hand out. He still smoked, sometimes. It was his last vice, after all--not a super easy thing to give up. Still he’d been  _ trying _ to quit for a while.

“They get back to you?” Annick asked, exhaling.

“No, we won’t know until tomorrow, probably.” Klaus took the lighter she offered and lit his cigarette, taking a long drag and holding it. He groaned involuntarily when he blew out and his head fell against the brick wall, “You shouldn’t be smoking,” he chided.

She looked at him as if he was speaking an alien language, “Says you.”

Klaus chuckled and took another drag. Touché.

“Is your family really all dead?” He asked after a moment of silence.

He could hear her grinding her teeth, “Yeah,” she said, head downturned as she kicked the snow.

Klaus blinked slowly, exhaustion taking over him. He sighed, “Okay. Then, you can stay with us another night. At least until we get the results back. Sound good?”

Annick smiled and nodded eagerly, dropping her cigarette into the snow, “Thank you.”

Klaus didn’t know how to respond to that. He nodded at her, smiling slightly, before drawing on the last of his cigarette. As he blew out, his eyes drifted closed and he thought of frat parties and nightclubs, fake I.D.’s, and the carelessness of a teenager, starry-eyed and eager to try anything, everything, drunk on the first inklings of freedom he got.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW for references to self harm. It's subtle, but it's there.
> 
> Annick out here giving us Girl Interrupted and End of the Fucking World vibes, like... calm down, edgy teen.  
> As always, I love to hear your comments and thoughts!!


	3. Chapter 3

They were screaming all around him, begging, pleading, and they were angry. So, so, angry. Klaus couldn’t get away. He backed himself into the corner, cold stone digging into his back, as they cried in his ears, threatening to tear him apart, devour him piece by piece, until he was nothing, nothing, nothing. Scattered into the ether with them, forced to endure their eternal agony as their screams shook the Earth below him. Was the Earth below him, or was he just floating in space? He couldn’t feel anything. He could only hear, only squeeze his eyes shut against the darkness, his screams muted by the shrieking in his ears.

He awoke with a jolt that sent him folding himself in half as he sat up in bed. The screams of the dead bled into the corners of his room, ringing in his ears.

Klaus shuddered, a full-body sensation, and let out a fearful moan. He rubbed his face, trying not to scratch at his eyes, and noticed the ringing hadn’t stopped. He turned his head side-to-side, looking around the room. No ghosts to be seen at the moment. It was then that he realized it was his phone that was making the awful sound.

His hand hovered over it, shaking. He felt Dave turn over in his sleep beside him and, so as not to wake him, he answered the phone.

“Hello?”  
“Hello, Mr. Klaus Katz?” Said an unfamiliar voice.

“Um…” Klaus climbed out of bed, keeping his voice low, “Yes, that’s me.” He closed himself into the bathroom, squinting harshly after flicking on the light, but there was no damn way he was going to sit there in the dark. What time was it, anyway?

The friendly voice on the other side asked him how he was, and he replied politely, as one does. She then told him she had his DNA test results.

Klaus cupped his phone with both hands, throat closing up in anxiety. He swayed slightly and had to grip the sink to steady himself.

He nodded along as the voice told him his results, staring himself down in the mirror. He thanked the voice and hung up, then turned the tap until the water ran cold. He held his shaking fingers underneath the stream for a moment--too long--inviting the ache the cold water brought, before splashing it into his face.

Realizing he wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep, and wouldn’t dare if he could, he left the bathroom and headed to his room to grab a warm sweater and a pair of jeans. Dave was still sleeping soundly, one arm stretched out across Klaus’ spot in the bed. Klaus leaned in to carefully kiss Dave’s temple, which granted a small shuffle from Dave, but he didn’t wake up.

The radio station was playing Easy in his headphones when he picked them up. He smirked at that. _Easy like Sunday morning_. He got changed, not bothering to do anything with his messy hair, and padded down the hallway before stopping in front of the spare room.

Carefully, he pushed the door open slightly, cringing at the quiet squeak. Annick was sleeping soundly on the cot, facing the door. She had one cheek pressed into her pillow and her unruly curls were standing up in every direction.

Klaus couldn’t make himself move away, so he just stood and stared for a while before lowering himself to the floor, cross-legged, and watched her sleeping face.

It was terrifying, honestly. The features of her face were so clear in the early morning light. Klaus didn’t have to squint very hard. Her face was a familiar one already. He’d seen it any time he looked in a mirror. Her eyebrows were thick and drawn in, and her eyes were large and framed by feathery, dark eyelashes. Her nose and her mouth were slightly different--her nose was a bit rounded at the end, upturned, and her lips were full and pale. And her hair was a wild, medium shade of brown, obviously cut by herself. Klaus could tell it was matted in the back, not taken care of. He twirled a lock of his own hair around his finger absently. She looked different as she slept. When she was awake she was fiery, cocky, confident. But asleep, she looked so young. Too young and small to truly be the person she was acting like during the day. Klaus knew. He’d lived it. He was crass and flamboyant around other people, but when he was alone--that’s when they got to him. Whether it was the ghosts or the memories, they always managed to bring him back to that frightened child-like state.

Looking at Annick now, Klaus’ chest tightened with the realization of how young she was. How she’d barely touched the world but the world had already shot her down in more ways than one, and Klaus was one of those ways. Sure, it wasn’t his fault because he was never told she existed, but he couldn’t help but feel guilty for not being in her life. He knew it didn’t matter. He wouldn’t have been helpful in any way at that time in his life. That time that lasted nearly twenty years. He remembered how it felt, growing up with a cold and absent father, and how he _hated_ him, and took so much joy in pushing his buttons, humiliating him in front of the press, what have you. But no matter how satisfying all those things were, he _still_ longed for his father to care about him, to say he was proud of him, to talk to him, anything. He watched Annick’s shoulders rise and fall gently in her sleep, and dropped his hands to his lap weakly.

He let himself stare a little longer, resisting the strange urge to brush her hair out of her face, as his vision blurred and his eyes began to sting.

Annick’s eyes were closed, but her lips moved, “Can you quit staring at me? It’s creepy.”

Klaus sat up straight and cleared his throat, “Uh--morning!” He stood up, wiping his eyes on his sleeve before she opened hers.

Annick sat up in bed, blinking, “I wasn’t asleep.”

“Right. Okay, what do you want for breakfast?”

Annick pursed her lips, fighting a yawn. She yawned anyway and stretched her arms over her head, “Waffles?” She hummed. Klaus nodded happily. Waffles sounded perfect.

Annick got up to have a shower and Klaus stepped back into his and Dave’s room.

He planted himself on the side of the bed, hugging his knees to his chest, and tickled Dave’s collarbone with gentle fingers. Dave stirred, sighing in his half-asleep state, turning over and facing him, patting his hand over the mattress. He cracked a blue eye open.

“Mornin’” Dave smiled.

Klaus smiled back, a little nervously. He sucked on his lips as he felt his eyes burn again. His lungs constricted as he tried to speak. He couldn’t get the words out.

“Did they call back?” Dave asked, voice hoarse. Klaus nodded mutely, mouth slightly open and eyebrows creasing together.

Dave propped himself up on one elbow and squinted as he attempted to focus on Klaus’ face, “Hey, what’s wrong?”

Klaus shook his head and lowered himself next to Dave. He balanced himself on both elbows, on his stomach, and took a few breaths. Dave brought a hand to the side of his face and stroked his cheekbone and jaw with the pad of his fingers, tilting his chin to look at him.

“What’s the matter?” Dave asked again in that Dave way that just made Klaus turn into a puddle. Klaus scooted closer, bringing their faces close enough that his long eyelashes could brush the bridge of Dave’s nose. He gulped, bracing himself for whatever reaction Dave would have,

“Dave… she’s mine.”

Dave didn’t seem to react. His eyes just searched Klaus’ face as he nodded in understanding. “Are you okay?” He asked, tucking a strand of hair behind Klaus’ ear.

Klaus laughed, bitter, “Yeah… yeah. I’m totally fine. The other day all I had to worry about was the shop and my messy-ass family, but now I suddenly have an eighteen-year-old daughter with nowhere to go, and _probably_ some serious mental health problems--also, we don’t have any legal documents that would allow her to stay here with us, and she doesn’t even have a proper bed or room, and I know literally _nothing_ about teenage girls, and she’s never even met my family, and--”

“Klaus. You’re spiralling.”

Klaus huffed out a breath, “You’re right. Sorry. It’s just… I don’t know what to do? Okay, first things first--what are we going to do about Vanya’s party today?”

Dave sat up in bed now, and Klaus straightened up with him, never taking his eyes off his face, hoping for some guidance.

“Would it be such a bad idea to… bring her?” Dave offered, reaching for his glasses on the nightstand, “I mean, she’s your daughter.”

Klaus wanted to laugh. He stared at Dave in silence for a moment, hoping he didn’t have to state the obvious. When Dave simply blinked back at him sleepily, he spoke,

“Dude, my family is screwed up as it is, but if I were to just show up with a… a _daughter_ out of nowhere--an _eighteen-_ year-old daughter, mind you, how the hell do you think they would react?”

“Well, I really don’t know.” Dave answered honestly. Klaus realized he didn’t know either.

Dave must have understood, because he smiled wide, “If neither of us have any idea how they’ll all react, why not just find out? What’s the worst that could happen?”

“Uh-” Klaus sputtered, “I dunno, Diego could _shank_ me? Luther could beat my ass? A lot of bad stuff could happen, Dave.”

“Yes, but a lot of good stuff could happen, too.” Dave shrugged. Klaus’ head started to hurt again. He did not need Dave’s unrelenting optimism right now.

“Great, then we’re decided!” Dave kissed his cheek and hopped off the bed.

“Huh?!”

“Go tell your daughter what’s happening today.”

Klaus flopped back on the bed, nearly whining. He wasn’t sure how he felt about Dave calling her “your daughter.” He wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about the whole thing. Why was Dave taking it with such stride? He’d seen Annick’s episode the day before. Clearly, something wasn’t right with her, and Dave was just fine with carting her along to meet Klaus’ entire family?

“I didn’t sign up for this,” Klaus groaned into his hands.

Dave leaned over him, arms on either side of his torso. He pressed a quick kiss to Klaus’ hands, over his lips. “That’s too bad. She’s yours for certain now, so you have to deal with it.”

Klaus curled his nose at him, pouting.

“Go.” Dave pointed to the door.

It took some more persuasion from Dave, but Klaus managed to tell Annick about Vanya’s party over their waffles. He’d referred to them as “my family” first, before taking a breath and correcting himself, “your family.”

Annick looked up from her waffles at that. Her green eyes were wide and round, a little tired, and they swam with a certain bare fear and yearning that could only be matched to Klaus’ own eyes. He heard Dave suck in a breath beside him, undoubtedly recognizing the look as well.

“Does that mean…?” She said, pale lips hanging open with unspoken words.

Klaus nodded and looked down, suddenly afraid to meet her eyes, “Yeah. They called back.”

Annick actually grinned at that. It was subtle, but Klaus caught it. He had a daughter.

The drive to Vanya’s farm was about two hours, and they spent the first half of the trip listening to music instead of talking. The air was still a little awkward between them, so Klaus confided in music, as he often did. He was enjoying listening to one of his TLC albums, dancing along happily in his seat to the nostalgic tune, when Annick made a noise that had him flipping in his seat.

“Did you just say ‘ew’?” He gawked.

Annick snickered, “Yeah? Isn’t this stuff kinda, I dunno… old?”

Klaus placed a hand to his chest so his heart wouldn’t break. He caught Dave’s eye and it was clear that Dave was holding in a laugh. Old? Since when was TLC _old_ ? He used to listen to it all the time in Allison’s room, either during their half-hour of free time or at night, careful to keep the volume low. The two of them would do each other’s hair and makeup and dance, pretending they were in a music video. 2001 wasn’t _that_ long ago. Oh shit, it totally was.

“You just don’t know good music.” Klaus quipped.

Annick laughed, “Okay, boomer.”

“Okay, first of all, I’m a _millennial_ …” Klaus gasped. Dave silenced them both, laughing.

Annick actually _giggled_ , and Klaus couldn’t help but smile at that.

Dave offered she take control over the music, and she tuned into some noisy radio station Klaus had never heard of before, but he quikcly realized why.. Needless to say, Klaus was not a fan of death metal. He rolled his window completely down and tried to drown out the music with the sounds of the wind. It was a little too angry, a little too… similar to sounds he’d heard before, in his dreams.

When it was Dave’s turn to pick a song, much to Annick’s grief, he popped in a ‘Doors CD. That cheered Klaus up instantly, as Dave probably knew it would. He smiled distantly at the memory of dancing to Soul Kitchen at their wedding--a small shindig at Allison’s house. He’d worn stripes, Dave had worn blue. They’d danced until they were in stitches, and then they got drunk on cheap wine and each other, and made love in the back seat of their car.

They were approaching Vanya’s farm and Klaus tipped his head to see Annick in the back seat through the mirror. She had gone quiet a while ago and was shrinking in her seat. She had one knee hugged close to her chest and she leaned her head away from the window, shoulders shrugging forward. She chewed her bottom lip, thick eyebrows wrinkling together.

“Dave,” Klaus said, feeling the pang of anxiety as they got closer to the farm. He could see Annick jump at the sudden noise, “We need to be the last to get there.”

Dave raised an eyebrow at him, then jabbed his chin back at the road, and Klaus knew what he was going to say. They weren’t far now. The loud, accented voice of his GPS did a great job of reminding him that every five minutes.

He had never actually been to Vanya’s farm. He’d seen a picture of it--a Christmas card he found in his mailbox the year before. Vanya had sent a copy to each of their siblings, and Klaus wasn’t sure how that made him feel. He’d never bothered to send cards or letters. He’d never received any before then, anyway. It was nice, at least, that Vanya was trying to keep in touch. She even wrote a little “Happy Hanukkah” on the back.

She looked happy in the photo, and Klaus felt a pang of guilt when he realized he thought that was strange. Vanya was happy when they were kids, he thought. Maybe. She was always sensitive and would cry easily, but Klaus distinctly remembered what her laugh sounded like and how she wouldn’t show her teeth when she smiled, hiding behind her hair. They used to play together, sometimes, and she would join him and Allison for sleepovers and they would talk and giggle all night. It changed when they were teenagers, as everything else did. They grew apart, and Klaus saw less and less of Vanya, but sometimes he would sit against the wall of his room and listen to the sweet sounds of her violin as they lulled him to sleep.

Dave did his best to make sure they were late despite his need to be punctual. Klaus thanked him, and told him they would expect him to be late, anyway. Annick was quiet.

They pulled up the long, dirt driveway twenty minutes later, behind several cars Klaus had never seen, and he had to take a moment to make sure he was still breathing. He didn’t even recognize his siblings’ cars. Dave squeezed his knee, shooting his eyebrows up with a small smile as if to say, “Ready?” and Klaus held up a finger, breathing out. In, out. In, out.

Still anxious--and now sweating, _great_ \--Klaus turned around in his seat, deciding he was as ready as he could have been. Time to check on his daughter. Eee. His _daughter_. Still felt weird to think about.

“You ready?” He asked. She met his eyes warily before her expression changed. She clicked her tongue, squaring her shoulders, and shrugged,

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

Klaus offered her a smile, but it probably looked fearful or sad. He unbuckled his seat belt and startled when Dave whispered harshly next to his ear,

“Oh, crap! Should we have gotten them a gift?”

Klaus blinked. Was that a thing? Vanya didn’t ask for anything. But then again, she never did. Not even at her wedding. “Fffffuck. Quick, grab that scented candle! In the back seat!” He pointed to the seat next to Annick, which he remembered had a Bath and Body Works bag stuffed on the floor in front of it from one of his impulsive mall outings, likely months ago.

Dave looked at him mournfully, “Wha-but that’s my favourite scent...”

“I’ll buy you a new one, just gimme!”

He stepped out of the car on shaky legs and braced himself when he heard the crunching of snow approaching him from behind.

“You’re late, Klaus.”

Klaus slammed the back door, trapping Annick inside with a whiny, “ _Hey!_ ” and he flipped around to face his brother.

“Luther!” He cried, and hugged the tall man. Luther returned it, a little awkwardly, “Is everyone here? Are you well? Did you see Vanya? Did she want gifts? I don’t know if she wanted gifts, but I got her this! Just a little thingie thing--not much. You remember Dave? Dave, say hi!”

Dave placed a hand on his shoulder as if to turn a button off. Klaus finally stopped talking, grinning up at Luther expectantly.

Luther seemed a little embarrassed, and he hesitated before speaking, “Uh… yeah. I’m good. Everyone’s here. Allison got here first, though. I made an egg salad. Do you, uh… do you eat egg salad?”

Klaus nodded, stupid grin still stuck to his face, and forced a laugh. They continued on like that for another minute, laughing awkwardly and making small talk. Dave looked at the ground with wide eyes and tightly shut lips. He saved them, thankfully, by suggesting they all go inside where it’s warm. Klaus waited until Luther was turned away to finally let Annick out of the car. She glared at him.

Vanya’s house was cozy as hell, Klaus thought. It was a small one-floor farmhouse with a retro touch, and it smelled like cake. Someone must have been baking. She’d blasted the heat, or maybe it was only hot because of all of their siblings mulling around. Klaus had made sure to dress nicely. He wanted to make a good impression on everyone, as the last time he’d seen them had been a year before, but they had hardly gotten time to catch up amongst the busy-ness of Vanya’s wedding.

He wore a bright, multi-coloured-- _happy looking_ \--t shirt with a dark floral button-up over top. The button-up was Dave’s but he could at least pretend it was his. He’d wanted to wear his leather pants, which Annick encouraged, but Dave convinced him to change into a plain pair of black skinny jeans. Good enough.

He was shrugging his coat off when he felt something small hit his side, nearly toppling him over.

“Klaus, you made it!” Vanya cried happily. She smiled up at him, still shy, but it brought a warmth to his chest to see how happy she was to see him.

He hugged her back, “Of course! Happy anniversary.” He looked around the room, which was empty save for his small party, Luther, and Vanya. He kicked off his boots and handed her the small bag, explaining that he got her “a little something”. She might have known it was a lie, and that he totally had no idea if she wanted gifts, but she took it gratefully anyway, and smiled before greeting Dave. It was then that she noticed Annick leaning against the closed door, and she opened her mouth to speak when Klaus clapped his hands together,

“So, where is everyone, huh?”

“Oh,” Vanya gestured, “We’re all in the living room, over here. Are you guys thirsty? I’ve got lots of options. Coffee, tea, lemonade…” she waved her hand around in thought, “Juice?”

Klaus waved her away and followed her into the living room, Dave and Annick in tow. He’d forgotten just how big his family was until he stepped into the room and six pairs of eyes blinked back at him. The house suddenly felt too small, and he felt a familiar tightening in his chest. Maybe they shouldn’t have come last.

Allison walked up to him first from her place next to a turntable. “Klaus,” She breathed, glass of lemonade in hand as she reached out to him for a hug. He returned the hug and kissed her cheek, hoping that wasn’t a bad move. Allison didn’t seem to mind.

He was almost sure he’d seen her in the past year, but as he mentally thought back, he struggled to picture a date. She didn’t look too different. She was still dressed to perfection, as she always was since they were teens, in a baby pink sweater-dress and gold leggings, and she’d dusted some highlighter over her cheekbones which glinted when she moved.

He made sure to say hello to all of his siblings, surprised to see Five there. Social gatherings were not normally his thing, and yet there he was, coffee in hand and chatting with Vanya’s wife, Sissy. Klaus made sure to greet Sissy before Five, and complimented her house. She had a pleasant face, he noticed. She was blonde like a doll Allison had when hey were kids, hair curled carefully in loose waves, and she smelled like cherries and rosewater.

Diego had brought a friend, apparently. A girl, all thin and dark and quirky. Her hair was cut into a choppy bob, and she’d bleached the tips of it. Klaus wiggled his eyebrows at Diego upon meeting her, which earned him a slap on the arm. Diego claimed they were work friends, but Klaus knew his type.

It was surreal being in a room with all of them, and they must have felt the same given the nature of some of their conversations. They were polite and casual, as if they were all work colleagues and not brothers and sisters who’d seen each other at their very worst too many times to count. None of them would talk about that, though. Klaus felt like he had stepped into a dream, and he didn’t know yet if it was a good dream or a nightmare. The uncertainty put him on edge, though, and he busied himself with one of the things he did best, which was talking, attempting to ignore the way his hands shook.

Ben was the first to ask the question, and Klaus had actually almost forgotten. He stiffened, and turned.

“Who’s this?” Ben asked, nodding to Annick and smiling at her, although he looked confused. Klaus knew the rest of his siblings were looking at him in question, but he dreaded to meet their eyes.

“Huh?” He played dumb. Maybe they shouldn’t have come. The room felt hot and tiny again, moreso than before, and he started to itch. He had to get out of there.

Klaus barely registered Dave’s voice as he gingerly touched his arm. There was a growing wind in his ears and for a moment he thought the house had been picked up by a tornado. Allison stepped closer to him, and she must have called his name because he could read it on her lips, but he had to look away because he couldn’t focus on anything anymore. The wind rattled his body and he suddenly couldn’t breathe. Something had sucked the air out of his lungs and he wheezed, chest heaving with empty breaths. His hands came up to cover his ears and he was looking at the floor, but he could see Allison attempt to give him space. A cold hand touched his arm and he flinched away from the touch, forcing himself to turn and face the ghost.

It was Annick, staring up at him with a glint in her eye. She looked calm and brave, not like him, and Klaus almost cried. He found it in himself to calm down, then, and spoke before he fully regained his breath, still shaking,

“Sh...she’s my daughter.”

His ears rang as his siblings stared back at him, eyes wide, mouths open. Great. He really didn’t want to make Vanya’s party all about him, and yet here he was. His reputation hadn’t changed at all.

Diego was the first to speak, “S-s-sorry… what?”

“Daughter?” Someone else said.

And then the room erupted in noise.

Klaus held his hands out, trying to latch on to one question at a time, but they slipped past him, melting into one. The noise wouldn’t stop, and his eyes bounced from face to face, hoping again for something to grab onto, but they looked so confused, so concerned, and then they looked at Annick with the same expression. They looked at _her_ and her messy hair and her dirty jeans with shock and maybe it was concern, maybe it was pity, and Klaus clenched his jaw and glared, and bit down on his tongue, tasting blood.

He sucked in a breath and, in the corner of his eye, Annick rushed out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for siblings making an effort even though it's awkward as all hell!!  
> Decided to split this chapter in two because otherwise it would be crazy long.  
> Also, since this is an AU (no apocalypse and no dead characters besides Reggie), Five is the same age as the rest of them and Luther is not a monkey man. I’m also thinking this takes place around 2023, given their ages.
> 
> Also, I doodled Annick on my tumblr! Feel free to pop by here <33 http://frogsarebxtches.tumblr.com/post/628352980335427584/a-little-sketch-of-annick-klaus-daughter-from  
> How do links work...


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warnings in the end notes, folks. Enjoy!

“Fucking  _ assholes _ !” Annick hissed as she kicked the wall, punched it, rattling picture frames as she made her way down the hallway. Pictures of a happy family with rosy cheeks and straight teeth and pressed clothes and perfectly combed hair. She wanted to break them.

“Should never have even  _ come  _ here! What the fuck was he thinking?!” She kicked a door open and slammed it behind her, making a point of doing it loudly.

A boy jumped up from his spot on the rug. He looked at her with wide, fearful eyes. Annick took a glance around the room. It must have been his, because it was decorated for a young child. All graphic bed spreads and full bookshelves and an open toy chest. The boy had been playing with something--wooden barn animals, it looked like--when she barged in.

Annick stared him down, her back still pressed against the door, and the boy’s fearful expression didn’t change. His hands were raised halfway to his ears in anticipation of another loud noise, and Annick sighed through her nose, eyes drifting to the wall, feeling a bit guilty.

“Sorry. Didn’t know you were in here.” She dragged her feet to the kid’s bed and plopped herself down. He still hadn’t moved, almost like a startled deer.

Annick shook her head expectantly and shrugged, “Don’t you talk?” The boy remained still.

She huffed, falling backwards onto the bed and raising her arms to frame her head, curly hair falling around her like a crown.

“This is all so  _ fucked _ up,” She muttered, tracing patterns in the ceiling with her eyes, “I mean, what am I even doing here?”

She sat up then, watching the boy with raised eyebrows, waiting for an answer he couldn’t give. He finally started to relax a bit, but kept his distance and stood still. His eyebrows were drawn together and his eyes were impossibly large, but staring right at her.

Annick grinded her teeth.

“I mean, I didn’t expect much. So it’s whatever.” She waited. No reply. She kicked up the carpet, chewing the inside of her cheek, “It’s just so fucking stupid. Like, did you see all those people? They clearly hate each other, but they’re pretending they don’t, and it’s embarrassing to watch. And, yeah, he’s my Dad, but he can’t even act like a grownup.”

The boy shuffled, fiddling with the wooden bird in his hands. He flicked his eyes to the door as the sound of footsteps approached them. Annick held her breath.

A blonde woman opened the door without knocking. “Harlan-” She said before her eyes fell on Annick, and she froze, “Oh, hello.”

Annick hunched her shoulders. The woman was looking at her like  _ that _ again. She suddenly felt naked, and wanted to run, run, just keep running.

“I’m not sure we’ve met,” the woman smiled. She had a Southern accent, like the ones Annick used to hear on TV, some old Hollywood movie she couldn’t remember the name of. “My name’s Sissy. This is my son, Harlan.”

Annick pressed her lips together, still chewing her cheek nervously, “Annick.”

Sissy smiled.

___

He’d ran outside in his panic, wrenching the back door open and not bothering to locate his shoes. The cold snow burned his feet through his socks, but he couldn’t feel much else.

With shaking hands, Klaus rifled through his jeans for his cigarettes before remembering that he didn’t have any. He thought for a second about dashing through the house to grab his coat where he would find cigarettes, but he didn’t have any there, either.

He crouched forward as his chest heaved, knees bent, and clawed at his face, wanting to melt into the snow.  _ Stupid, stupid, stupid. He should never have come here. No one would have noticed if he didn’t come, anyway. He’d ruined Vanya’s party. Stupid, stupid, attention-seeking, irresponsible... _

Something placed itself over his shoulders but he couldn’t feel the warmth of it. He knew Dave had appeared beside him. He recognized the sound of his steps on the back porch. The way he gently closed the door with care.

Klaus tried to talk, but a strange gasp came out instead. He clutched his chest at the pain spreading under his ribcage from trying to breathe. He whimpered as his body took shallow gulps of air for him, and his brain prickled from the lack of oxygen. He allowed his legs to give out a little as Dave’s strong arms held him up.

“It’s okay.” Dave was whispering. He was telling him to breathe, and Klaus was trying, but his lungs wouldn’t let him slow down.

He bent forward and heaved, but nothing came up. There was a voice behind them, soft and concerned, and Dave--still holding him and now rubbing his back--turned his head to speak with the person.

Dave guided him to the back steps, and by that point Klaus was just staring numbly at the snow. Dave was telling something to the person behind them, but Klaus didn’t bother to listen.

“Dave…” he croaked, curling into a ball, “Get me out of here. Please…”

“Okay.” Dave said, running a hand over his back. He’d taken off his cardigan and draped it over his shoulders, and Klaus hadn’t even noticed his own shivering.

“I’ll find Annick and we can go.” Dave said softly.

Klaus gulped, guilt causing his body to stiffen. Annick had run off somewhere. He had no idea where. He was too preoccupied with himself, getting himself away from all the noise. He’d forgotten about his daughter.

The back door opened and Klaus finally recognized the voice as Vanya’s.

“Hey, Klaus?” She started, gently, “I brought you some water.” Her voice turned up at the end, like a question.

Klaus’ lips started to tremble. He couldn’t turn around to face his sister because if he did he would surely cry. Dave thanked her for him and Vanya placed herself on the steps on his other side, holding the glass out to him. He took it with a shaky hand.

After he’d had a few gulps, he told Dave he should go back inside and find Annick. Of course, Dave asked if he was sure, and Klaus gave him a wobbly smile.

“I’ll be fine. Thanks…” He nuzzled his head on Dave’s shoulder for a moment, and Dave touched his cheek, searching his eyes, before nodding and getting up to leave.

When Dave was gone, there was silence. Klaus’ throat bobbed with the urge to speak first before Vanya could ask him a question he didn’t want to answer.

As if she could sense that, Vanya said, “Sorry about all of that.”

Klaus shrugged, putting on his mask now, “S’fine. You did nothing wrong.”

The door opened again and they both turned around. Allison stepped outside in her coat and shoes, grinning nervously, “Hey… got room for one more?”

Klaus scooted closer to Vanya so Allison had room to sit. She sat, and her arm hovered over his shoulders for a moment before she brought it back to her side.

“Is she really your daughter?” Allison asked. Klaus nodded and took another gulp of water so he didn’t have to talk. He’d have to save the rest of it for another question.

“How do you know?” Vanya asked, “Did you speak to her mother, or…?”

“DNA test.” Klaus said. He would spare them the reality of Annick’s family being dead. Wow. A dead family and a junkie for a Dad, who completely forgot to check on her and ask if she was okay. The water tasted sour in his mouth.

“She looks like you.” Vanya said. Klaus smiled brokenly.

He rested his head on Allison’s shoulder and Vanya curled her arm under his. They sat like that for a while, leaning against each other, holding each other.

“Were you guys scared?” Klaus asked, worrying his bottom lip. He could feel his sisters move to exchange a confused glance.

“Scared of what?” Allison asked.

“Becoming a parent.”

“Oh.” Allison paused, “Of course. I mean, when Claire was born… I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. I could have been a much better mother.”

Klaus watched as Allison’s eyes glazed over, and suddenly felt very bad for bringing it up. Claire wasn’t with her. He didn’t need to ask, because he knew she was at her Dad’s house almost all the time now. A rock formed in Klaus’ stomach and he took another sip of water, hoping to distil the feeling.

“Sorry,” Allison faced him, “That’s not really what you need to hear, is it?”

Klaus shrugged, chortling into his glass, “It’s the reality. Us Hargreeves kids are doomed to awful parenthood.”

Allison’s face pinched at that and he knew he’d offended her.

“I’m sorry,” he said genuinely. “Allison, you’re a great Mom. You know that, right? I mean it.”

She shrugged, smiling unevenly. It was rare to see her looking so insecure. A shiver crawled up Klaus’ spine and he blamed it on the cold.

“Sissy’s perfect,” Vanya said, smile in her voice, “She’s such a good Mom, honestly. I always feel like I’m not doing enough for Harlan. But she never fails to make me feel better. She tells me how good of a parent I am, how much he loves me, and I listen to her, you know? I believe her.”

Klaus nodded along as she spoke, watching her face brighten. She was truly happy, and Klaus couldn’t help but mirror her smile. He knew how it felt to find someone who, for the first time, really believed you were extraordinary.

“You won’t screw her up, Klaus.” Vanya said, taking his hand.

He huffed out a laugh through his nose, “Oooh, I think it might be a little late for that,  _ hermana _ .”

“Well, sure it’s complicated,” Allison said, “But she’s with you now. You can spend time with her, so you have the chance to be good for her. To try for her.”

Klaus wasn’t sure what to say to that, so he tipped his head back and smiled sadly at Allison. He understood what she was saying, anyway. Sighing, he faced Vanya, “Sorry for ruining your party.” Vanya laughed. Actually laughed.

“You didn’t ruin my party, Klaus. Come on, we’ve got hours to go.” She stood up, taking his hand with her.

Allison clapped her hands, “Yes! And Ben baked a cake!”

They walked back inside hand-in-hand, gossiping about Diego and his new lady. They got stuck in the door for only a moment and laughed it off. He hoped Dave had found Annick.

__

The air seemed to relax after that. Klaus’ siblings didn’t bring up his little panic attack, to which he would be forever grateful, and he found Annick and Dave talking to Sissy. Annick looked happier, at least. She was smiling and laughing, and holding some wooden toys, it looked like. Sissy’s kid was hiding behind her leg, and Klaus had the chance to say hello before Sissy explained that noise was a bit hard on him, hence why he was playing in his room.

Klaus dropped himself onto the couch sometime later, glass of lemonade in hand, and realized then that no one was drinking alcohol. Had Vanya made sure of that just for him? His breath caught in his throat and he forced away a small smile as he looked around the room at his siblings.

Vanya had made sure there was no alcohol at her party, Luther had greeted him when he arrived, and Vanya and Allison were worried about him after his episode and stayed with him to make sure he was okay. Klaus couldn’t think about it anymore because his eyes started to burn, so he forced himself off the couch and into the kitchen.

Ben had brought the cake out of the oven and he was measuring it with a knife as an artist would do with a pencil, one eye closed and tongue sticking out. A woman--Diego’s new friend. What was her name?--was sitting atop the counter and stealing swabs of icing with her finger. Ben slapped her hand, letting out that annoyed laugh that Klaus knew far too well. The “ _ Stooooop _ ” that came out of Ben’s mouth took him back to too many occasions when he’d driven Ben crazy. So easy.

Klaus greeted him with a hug and, surprised, Ben asked him what was wrong. Klaus laughed at that, waving a lazy hand in his face, “Just wanted to see what you were up to!” He turned to the woman, grinning ear-to-ear, “Hey, I think my brother forgot to introduce us! I’m Klaus.”

“I know,” she said, and Klaus felt a twinge of panic for a moment. “Diego talks about you a lot. I’m Lila.” She held out a hand to shake. She had an English accent that Klaus would have swooned over as a teenager.

“What are you saying?” Diego asked breathlessly, suddenly appearing at her side, before turning to Klaus, “Did she say anything about me?”

Klaus hummed, “Just that you hooked up and you were  _ terrible _ .” Ben coughed out a laugh at his side.

Diego sputtered, spilling his lemonade, “That-that was  _ one time _ , and it was years ago, when Eudora and I were broken up!”

Klaus’ jaw dropped and he grinned, looking at Ben who had almost the same expression. They shoved each other around, laughing and shushing one another as if Diego wasn’t directly in front of them.

“You guys are fucking children,” Diego said, and walked away stiffly. Lila wiggled her eyebrows at Klaus, nibbling on a piece of cake she’d stolen when Ben was preoccupied.

Luther put on some music eventually, and Klaus spotted Annick dancing idly. He flicked his eyes around the room, hoping to catch sight of Dave so he could ask him to talk to Annick for him. When he couldn’t find him, he realized how stupid he was being. Annick was scary, that was for sure, but what could she do to him that was so bad? His brain was ready to answer that question easily, so he decided not to put any more thought into it as he made his way towards her.

“Got you a piece of cake,” he said, voice drawing up pathetically at the end.

She didn’t stop swaying to the music, but she did look up at him and then down at the cake, “Thanks,” she said absently, but didn’t take it.

Klaus put the plate on the desk beside the turntable, “Look…” he waited for a response. When she didn’t say anything, he realized he hadn’t planned an end to that sentence.

He folded his arms across his chest, “I’m sorry about what happened. I guess it was just a lot going on at the same time. I should’ve checked up on you.”

Annick pressed her lips together in a tight smile, squinting, “Ehh, I didn’t really want you to, so it’s chill.”

Klaus popped his mouth, “Oh? Okay, then. I’ll fuck off.”

He was glad Annick registered the joking tone in his voice, because she tugged his sleeve, sighing and grinning slightly. Klaus took the wordless invitation and danced.

Luther had put on a Beach Boys album, and Klaus recollected a hazy memory of Luther’s room and his shelf of vinyls. The Beach Boys were among that collection, he was almost certain.

Annick was strangely short compared to him, he thought. He was six feet tall, yet she was pushing five-foot-five. Still, Klaus was rather awestruck at the way she smirked to herself while she danced, the way her limbs looked like they moved for her, the specific place her hair parted on her head. He was looking at himself, and he never quite got used to it.

Annick’s hand was cold, like his own, when he grasped it to twirl her under his arm. Vanya and Allison soon joined them, and so did Dave, and they laughed and fell into each other, terribly out of breath by the end of the album.

Before they left, Five managed to corner Klaus into a conversation he had been dreading all night. Five had asked him, with stern eyes, how he was doing. Klaus finished the last of his third glass of lemonade and imagined the sting of vodka being carried along with the sour lemons, though he wouldn’t tell Five.

“Fine and dandy, y’know…” Klaus sighed, and then remembered the five-foot-five elephant in the room, “Just getting used to this whole  _ being a Dad _ thing.”

Five nodded, visibly uncomfortable, and gripped his glass tighter. Klaus had seen Five’s shifty eyes out of the corner of his eye all evening. He could smell his drink. He knew, and Five knew that he knew, that he’d been slipping something secret into his lemonade.

“Are you doing okay?” Klaus asked. Five frowned.

“Yes, fine.” He paused, changing the subject, “Did you have a good time? After your big episode, that is.”

There it is.

“Yeah, it’s a great party,” Klaus said distantly, politely.

Five nodded once, satisfied, robotic. He sipped his drink, “Good, good. I helped. Vanya was a little nervous about inviting everyone, at first.”

Klaus chose not to explore that last part, fearful that it was aimed at him, “You helped? Why?”

Five shrugged, tucking his fist into his pants pocket. He didn’t seem to have an answer to that. “Well. Glad you’re staying sober.”

Klaus wasn’t sure if that was a jab or not. It was hard to tell with Five, sometimes. He was similar to Diego in that way. His face and voice were stern, but it wasn’t especially rare for him to show affection. You just had to pay close attention to spot it. Klaus could tell it frightened him to do so, and not many things frightened Five.

“Sorry if this is rude, Five, but… why do you suddenly care?”

Five shot him a look, “Because, dumbass, like it or not I’m your brother.”

Klaus could hear the “and I love you” in his voice. He smirked into his glass and decided to leave it at that.

They left soon after Klaus and Five’s conversation, if you could call it a conversation, because Annick was nodding off. Klaus remembered her telling him she had sleep problems. He felt a bit bad that they’d stayed so long. She was probably exhausted.

He hugged each of his siblings, which was still sort of a new feeling. Five was horribly stiff, as was Luther, but Klaus could tell Luther was at least trying to return the hug. Allison gave him a tight squeeze and kissed him on the head as he’d done to her, and he gave her a big smile. He’d then hugged Vanya the longest. She was so tiny in his arms, and beaming with a level of happiness that was so new on her, and it had him smiling all the way into the car.

Klaus gave Annick his headphones when she requested them, and he folded up his coat and propped it up against her window so she could sleep against it. Her jaw went slack as she nodded off, and Klaus and Dave waved goodbye to everyone as they pulled away.

“I knew you could do it,” Dave said proudly sometime later, when they were driving along the seemingly never ending dark country road. His voice pulled Klaus from his wandering fearful thoughts about the dark.

“Do what?”

Dave flashed him a smile before turning back to the road, “Get along with your siblings. You should be proud of yourself.”

Klaus chuckled and brought one knee up to his chest. Oh, sweet Dave. “Well, it’s not entirely up to me. Plus, I had that panic attack that almost ruined the whole evening.”

“No, it didn’t.” Dave droned smoothly. He took Klaus’ hand in his and brushed his knuckles with a kiss, warm breath on his cold fingers, “I’m proud of you. And you did it for her.”

Klaus craned his neck to see Annick’s sleeping face, dimly lit by the far-between street lamps and the lights on the dashboard. Dave was right. He wanted Annick to meet her family, but it was a terrifying thing for him to do.

Klaus sighed, and his eyelids grew heavy. Dave had moved his hand to stroke his leg comfortingly and Klaus’ body warmed at the touch.

“Look at her,” Klaus whispered, still turned around in his seat, “She’s part of me, Dave.”

Lights crawled across Annick’s sleeping face. She was pale, and her expression was slightly pinched, but she looked more peaceful than Klaus had seen her all day. Her cheek was squished up against his coat on the window and some of her hair had fallen into her face, tickling her nose with each inward breath.

_ Part of me. Poor thing _ , Klaus thought. “What are we gonna do?”

He faced Dave, then, and neither of them mentioned how his eyes swam. Dave squeezed his leg and looked at him reassuringly, earnestly.

“We’re gonna figure it out together,” he muttered, voice strong, but soft and gentle, like his touch. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

And Klaus laced their fingers together and rested his tired head against his headrest. He believed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW for brief panic attack.
> 
> Sibling fluff and Dave being a doting husband? Ugh. We love to see it.  
> As always, I love to read your comments! <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warnings in the end notes, as usual!

Annick seemed stiff at breakfast, and Klaus couldn’t figure out why.

She’d ignored her orange juice, even though she’d asked for it, and she poked at her waffles until they soaked up all the maple syrup, too soggy to enjoy.

“Did you have fun yesterday?” Dave asked, finishing his coffee and grabbing his keys to the book shop. Annick grunted.

Klaus frowned, narrowing his eyes in confusion across the table. She seemed to have had fun at Vanya’s party. She was laughing and dancing, getting along with Harlan and Sissy, and Klaus could’ve sworn he’d seen her talking to Allison. But now she was sitting curled into a ball, nose down and jaw tight.

“It was fine,” she mumbled. Klaus wasn’t fooled.

“That’s great!” Dave beamed, though Klaus caught his worried expression before he leaned down for a kiss, “You guys should do something fun today. What do you think?”

Klaus’ head was still titled upwards, and he offered Annick a wide grin but it must have looked awfully fake. He was busy thinking about his and Dave’s conversation the night before.

They’d gotten home late. Late enough for Klaus to feel bad about waking Annick up to go inside. In their room, Klaus bit his nails off worrying about the future and where Annick stood in that. Dave reassured him that they would work out the legalities with her and talk to her about where she was going to live--presumably with them, but they wanted to know how she felt first--and Dave had suggested the three of them go out to dinner to talk.

Honestly, Klaus thought that wasn’t a great idea ever since the stunt Annick pulled at the sandwich shop, but Dave told him they could just ask her later, and that seemed to satisfy Klaus enough.

“Yeah, that might be nice,” Klaus replied, deciding it would probably be better to leave the house, “Annick? Anywhere you wanna go?”

She sighed, and Klaus caught her subtle eyeroll. “...Okay,” she mumbled. It wasn’t an answer to his question, but he took it anyway.

Dave ran the book shop for the day, and Klaus and Annick left the apartment with him. It was warmer that day, but Klaus still had to argue with Annick to get her to wear a coat. Eventually, she grabbed her own light jacket and a scarf and hat, and held her arms out, “Happy?” She asked, and Klaus let it slide.

They walked along the same busy street for a few minutes, silent, and Klaus flinched at passing ghosts, swallowing the bile in his throat, and tried to busy himself with finding a place to get brunch, or something. Today would have been a breakfast date day with Diego and Ben, but they hadn’t texted him. He worried that he’d said something to offend them the night before, but his worries were replaced with some unknown uncomfortable feeling in his gut when he checked his phone and saw a new text from Ben.

_ Are you doing something with Annick today? _

He stuffed his phone into his pocket and turned to his daughter. She walked similar to him, slouched and scuffing her boots on the sidewalk, but it almost looked like she was doing it deliberately. Her fists were shoved into her pockets, likely cold, and she glared at the air in front of her.

“Alright tough girl, spit it out. What’s wrong?”

She looked at him from the corner of her eyes, all smudged mascara and dark circles, “What? Nothing.”

Slightly irritated, but covering it up with a happy voice, Klaus pressed, “Nah, I can tell something’s up. What happened? You seemed fine yesterday.”

Klaus knew he was overstepping, but he did it anyway. He didn’t know much about Annick yet, but it seemed that often her emotions would change suddenly and dramatically, without much of a warning or reason. Klaus could sympathize, somewhat. But currently he felt like whatever anger and passive aggression that was seething inside her was directed at him, and he wanted to know why.

“I dunno.” Annick shrugged, shoulders to her ears. Her eyes were wide as she shook her head and they wouldn’t move from the sidewalk in front of them.

She was acting strange, that was for sure. Different from her usual ‘strange’. Her shoulders were too tense and her face was downturned, hiding from his eyes. She was mumbling and talking quickly as if she desperately wanted the conversation to end.

She was insecure, Klaus realized, taken aback. The girl who normally radiated confidence was insecure. Something was definitely up.

“You can talk to me…” he tried, “Here, I’ll tell you an embarrassing secret and you tell me what you’re thinking. Deal?” He hoped that dumb idea would work.

Annick’s disgusted expression didn’t make him feel better.

“I don’t want to know any of your gross secrets, Klaus,” she bit, and it stung. She sounded like one of his siblings.

His eyes widened and his voice changed, serious, “Did someone say something to you last night? Did they hurt you?”

She met his eyes fearfully and sighed heavily, “Just drop it, okay?”

Absolutely not. “Annick, if someone said anything that offended you, I want to know-”

“They didn’t  _ say _ anything, okay? They didn’t need to.”

Klaus swallowed, “Whaddya mean by that?”

Annick stole a glance around them, and Klaus suddenly remembered where they were. Her nose curled and she bared her teeth as she spoke, “They thought I was a freak, okay? All of them.”

Klaus’ throat was dry. “That’s not true,” he muttered.

He was almost sure no one had thought that. His siblings warmed up to her surprisingly fast. They accepted her just like that, and Annick had had a great time, right?

But he remembered their faces. The way they looked at her when she first arrived. That shock, that  _ pity _ . He felt the urge to make himself small, to sink into the ground.

“They did not think that,” he said louder, but his voice wobbled, uncertain. He was trying to reassure himself.

Annick shook her head, not convinced. Her lip wiggled and she frowned, and she looked so much like a little kid in that moment.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, and Klaus would have missed it if he wasn’t paying attention. “You’re all a family. A fucked up and severely dysfunctional one, but you’re trying. I just fuck up the equation.”

Klaus reached out to her, wanting to touch her, but he decided against it, “No, Annick, you’re wrong...”

“It’s fine. They don’t want me. It’s okay.”

Klaus wanted to tell her she was wrong a hundred times. He wanted to tell her that  _ he _ wanted her, and fuck all the others and whatever they thought, and he wanted to know so badly that that was good enough for her. That he hadn’t existed in her life for eighteen years, but he did now, and he wanted to, and that she would let him. Please, if she would let him do right by her.

Klaus’ fingers made contact with her shoulder and she flinched. Klaus flinched back, as if they’d shocked each other, but she looked up at him with wide, tearful eyes. Slowly, carefully, he wrapped his arms around her in a hug, barely touching so he wouldn’t break her. She buried her cold nose in his chest and her shoulders shook. Klaus’ eyes were wide, scared, and burning. He opened his mouth to speak when she shoved him backwards, hard.

“Get the fuck off me!” She screamed, eyes wild and red. Klaus held his palms up and shook his head as if he was approaching a wounded animal.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” He was saying.

“I mean, who do you think you are?” Annick screamed. Her voice sounded different, pained, “I don’t need your fucking charity! I  _ know _ who I am! I  _ am _ a freak!”

“Annick, please-” he tried to speak calmly, quietly, still holding his hands out to show his innocence.

“You  _ made _ me like this! This is  _ your _ fault!” Annick was properly screaming now, drawing attention. She wouldn’t stop. Klaus couldn’t hold back-

“Do you think I  _ asked _ for this?” He cried. He regretted it instantly.

Annick snapped her jaw shut and stared him down, her expression cold and hurt and decorated by eighteen years of resentment. Eighteen years of expectation, and a few days of sheer disappointment.

“Maybe you should have wrapped your fucking dick, then.” She said through gritted teeth, voice hoarse.

“Annick…”

“No,  _ fuck _ you!” She ran away then, too fast for Klaus to grab her. Too fast for him to have even seen where she went.

“Ssshit,  _ fuck _ !” Klaus cursed into his hands, beding forward, curling in on himself. “ _ Fuck! _ ” He cried as he kicked a newspaper box, sending a shooting pain spiraling up his leg. He wanted a cigarette. He needed a cigarette. No. He needed something more. Booze. No.  _ More _ .

He clawed at his face as he shook, eyes stinging with unshed tears. He didn’t want to take his hands away from his eyes. He didn’t want to see the people staring at him, or the ghosts laughing at him, pointing, mocking.

His mouth went dry as his body  _ itched _ . He needed a hit. Just one god damn hit. Just one. Fuck what everybody else thoght. Fuck his four years of sobriety. He’d just fall off the wagon again and again. It was his pattern, his design, printed into the microscopic lines of his skin. He knew he couldn’t break it. He would let it happen again and again until it killed him, and his siblings would shake their heads in disappointment, but they would’t be surprised, and Dave would hate him, hate him, hate him, and Annick would grow to be Just. Like. Him. And people would shake their heads, and they would say “What did you expect would happen? It’s a formula. It’s predestined. She was a part of him. It was bound to happen.”

Klaus bit back tears as he clutched his stomach. His lip tore under his teeth and he tasted blood. Bile was crawling up his throat. He had to force it down. Force the tears away. He had to find Annick. Now.  _ Move your legs. Go, now. Go find her. Do something useful. Fix the mess you’ve made, Number Four. Number Four… what a disappointment you’ve become. You should know I take great pleasure in seeing you suffer. You deserved this. Perhaps you will now know what it was like to raise a worthless brat such as yourself. _

_ Shut the fuck up, Dad. Go, Klaus. Go. _

He took a few heaving breaths, hands on his knees, before standing up as straight as he could and scanning the street. Annick was nowhere to be seen. Which way had she ran? He couldn’t remember. Did she have a phone?  _ No _ . A wallet?  _ No _ . Could someone victimize her? What was the last thing he said to her? Oh god, how the hell was he going to find her?

With his head reeling and his legs shaking, Klaus set out in his best guessed direction.

__

Hours went by. Klaus knew that. He didn’t need to look at his phone but he did anyway. Every forty-five seconds. Annick didn’t have a phone, and he knew that too, but what if? What if she got to a payphone? She didn’t have change. What if she found a cell phone in her shoe? It could happen, he thought.

He was exhausted, but he pressed on. Where was he, again? The sun was starting to climb that hill, turning over into late afternoon. Klaus was almost sure he’d been burned. It didn’t matter.

He couldn’t stop replaying their fight in his head, over and over. Every time he closed his tired eyes he saw her screaming face and her shaky lips. “ _ Your fault _ ” she was saying, “ _ You made me this way _ ”. Klaus could have cried if he wasn’t so dehydrated. Maybe he had been crying.

He knew he had to call Dave. He knew that, but he couldn’t bring himself to. He would find her soon, surely, and then everything would be fine. Not normal, but fine. Just as they’d been living for the past few days. Dave wouldn’t think he was a bad father, and he wouldn’t worry every time Annick went outside.

Klaus watched his phone die as he hovered over the call button. He almost smashed it against the road. Almost.

He didn’t want to right now, but he remembered his days living on the streets. They crept into his mind like the ghosts crept into his dreams. He was Annick’s age, young and angry and obsessed with the illusion of freedom. He’d done everything at least once, because he didn’t care about the consequences. He touched the world with hungry fingers, and he’d fucked strangers in club bathrooms, shot up with people three times his age, stolen from people who did nothing wrong, and fucked and blew for his next high. It stopped being fun. It stopped being a show--a grand gesture to piss off his father, who’d stopped paying attention long before then, though he told himself otherwise for years. It was all about finding his next high and he didn’t care what he had to do or where he had to stay-- _ if _ he had a place to stay--if it meant he could get it. He didn’t mean to. It was an accident, at first. He fell, and his jaw snapped, and he realized for the first time that morphine made the ghosties go away. So, he latched on to that, and then it latched on to him and swallowed him, and his childhood died in its black, black stomach.

He saw it in her eyes--his daughter’s. His eyes. She’d taken something last night. He knew that. She’d passed out in the car too hard and fast to have simply been tired. He didn’t know why she did it. He was scared to ask.

_ Pussy. Help your daughter instead of hiding. Can’t you see what she’s becoming? _

Klaus pressed his palms to his ears.  _ Hello _ , thoughts.  _ Goodbye _ , thoughts. He dragged his aching feet to a payphone and dug out his wallet, praying for change.

He didn’t have enough. He wiped a hand over his face, groaning, and steeled himself as he approached a small restaurant. He knew this place. Sort of. He wasn’t too far from home. He’d circled around in his haze. Fuck.

He stumbled into the restaurant and asked to use their phone. The owner seemed to hesitate, but Klaus flashed him a smile, hoping that would mean something. It must have worked, though, because he granted Klaus access to their phone for a few minutes. He’d take it. He didn’t need long.

He held the receiver with trembling hands as he listened to it ring.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

“Hello?”

“Dave…” he cried. It was all he could get out.

“Klaus?” Dave sounded scared, immediately sensing his tone, “Sweetheart, what’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“I-it’s Annick…” he sucked in a breath, voice wavering, “She… she ran away. I can’t find her. I tried...”

“Where are you?”

Klaus pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose, rubbing slightly, “That little restaurant west of our place. Something about soup and crackers…?”

He listened as Dave tried to recollect, “Ah, yeah. I know what you’re talking about. Stay right there, okay? I’m coming to you.”

“Okay…” Klaus whimpered, planting himself on a barstool. He hung up, dropping his head into his hands and drawing in a long breath, nose whistling.

The sun had started to set by the time Dave arrived. Klaus told him what happened, and Dave nodded in understanding but he looked rather pained. They combed the streets and checked any restaurants or shops they thought she might have stopped in. They asked around, but no one had seen her. It was as if she’d vanished into thin air, like a ghost. Klaus stiffened at the thought and had to remind himself that that wasn’t true, even though he wouldn’t be sure until they found her and Dave saw her too.

Eventually, Dave suggested they split up to cover more ground and Klaus agreed uneasily. He couldn’t ignore the tingle of anxiety that being further separated from his family brought.

Klaus walked alone, hand running against each building he passed to ground him, and he felt something tug at his mind. He twitched at the feeling, slight jitter running down his spinal cord. He looked in the direction of the tug and saw nothing, until a moment later a ghost materialized and beckoned him over.

It was an old man, thank god. The old ghosts tended to look the least ghastly. They’d simply died of old age, usually, leaving no marks on the skin.

Klaus tilted his head at the man and hesitantly walked closer. He didn’t want to get closer than he needed to. The old man was waving at him frantically, and Klaus wondered if he could see that he had seen him already.

He swallowed, finding his voice, “...Yes?” he whispered, barely audible.

The old man pointed in a direction with both hands, the loose skin under his arms jiggling at the movement. Klaus followed his fingers with his eyes. That was the direction of the book shop, and his apartment.

He quirked an eyebrow at he old ghost again, and the old ghost pointed more desperately, walking backwards now, guiding him.

Klaus followed him to his apartment even though he didn’t need to. The old ghost stopped just up the street, and Klaus was going to ask him why when he vanished. Behind where the old ghost just stood sat a lump at the bottom of the metal stairs that lead to his apartment. Klaus took a careful step forward.

He recognized the spring jacket and pounced.

“Annick? Oh shit, I’m so sorry, are you hurt?” He looked her over, examining for cuts and bruises, and he looked up the staircase, “Did you fall? Where did you go? I searched everywhere for you. I’m so sorry.” He couldn’t stop the tears from clouding his vision.

Annick wasn’t moving. Her head fell to her chest when he grabbed her, and her eyes fluttered shut. Something cold spread inside Klaus’ chest and he felt his insides jump as if he’d been in an elevator that suddenly dropped.

“Annick? Please say something.” Panic rose in his voice and the sound of it scared himself. He smelled it, then. Vodka. Unmistakable. He held her face in his hands as he tried to wake her, and a bottle fell from her lap and rolled across the sidewalk. It was nearly empty. Jesus.

“Oh,  _ fuck… _ ” Klaus said aloud, and flipped his head around, hoping to see Dave. It was dark now, and it looked like it was just himself and Annick outside in the cold. He willed his body to stop shaking and he blinked harshly, trying to clear his vision.

_ You made me like this. This is your fault. _

Klaus tucked his arm under her knees and her back, and braced himself against the slipperly snow. He took a breath and hoisted her up on the count of three, legs shaking violently underneath the weight.

He slid his feet along each step, legs burning each time he climbed another, until he gathered himself on the step and had to do it again. Annick almost slipped out of his arms, but he bounced her up with his knee, holding her tight and pressing his back against the side of the building for support as he ascended.

He almost didn’t make it. Close to the top, his boot slipped on one of the stairs and his leg gave out underneath him. He fell onto the stair above him, protecting Annick’s head on reflex. He’d hoped he hadn’t bruised her in the fall. With what little strength he had left, he made it to the top and fumbled with his key, hands sweaty and trembling.

He stole a glance at Annick’s face as he feverishly searched for the right key. She didn’t look like she was sleeping. When she slept, she still retained some tightness in her face--her forehead, her eyes. But now she looked too lax. Her mouth hung open and her eyes didn’t close all the way. She was making little noises as Klaus moved around and her arm hung like a dead weight.

He burst in through the door, dropping his keys and carrying her to the couch. He tore off his coat and wrapped it around her, feeling how cold she was against his skin. He tried to rouse her, apologizing, crying, tapping her cheek and shaking her gently. It worked eventually and she heaved, groaning, “‘Mm gonna…” Klaus helped her to the bathroom just in time for her to throw herself over the toilet bowl and spill her guts out.

Klaus flinched, looking away. Vomit didn’t bother him. He was more than used to it. It was seeing her in that state that he found deeply disturbing. It crawled under his skin and buried itself there. He had to look away so the image wouldn’t be permanent.

“Where did you get the vodka?” He asked when she was done, sitting against the wall.

She spat into the toilet, breathing heavily and dry heaving, “Uwha…? Guy bough’t f’r me...” she clutched her stomach.

Klaus clenched his jaw and moved to wipe the hair out of her eyes. He took the band from his own hair and tied hers up with it as best he could. Her hair was slightly shorter than his and cut unevenly, and his hardly fit into a ponytail.

She lurched again, bile spilling from her pale lips as her skinny body contorted over the toilet. Klaus thought of the first time he’d gone to Allison, nearly blacked out and filthy, and how she’d held his hair out of his eyes as he threw up into her toilet. How later she’d dabbed his face with a cold towel and given him a bed as he shook and ached, and how she’d paid for rehab. He thought about how she’d done it the next two times, too, before he left it and overdosed--not for the first time--and she stopped. She’d cried and said she loved him, that she just wanted to help him, and he’d pushed her away. He did the same thing to Ben when he stayed with him in the hospital after he’d gotten a nasty infection from a dirty needle. Ben told him, through angry tears, that he almost didn’t make it, and Klaus had laughed as if he’d  _ nearly _ won a game. Close, but no cigar.

He never let them treat him gently. It was the same with the “friends” he’d met on the street, the people he’d gone home with, the people who’d paid him… he didn’t want to be treated like something breakable.

Klaus tucked the loose strands behind Annick’s ears as she blinked up at him, unfocused.

“I’m sorry,” his voice wobbled, and he closed his eyes so she wouldn’t see his tears, “I’m so sorry, Annick.”

He brought her to the couch when he was sure she was finished puking, but gave her a bowl just in case, and he used the house phone to call Dave.

Dave picked up after one ring, and Klaus told him everything and that Annick would be alright. Dave sighed in relief, asked if Klaus was okay, and Klaus didn’t know what to say to that, so Dave said he would be home soon.

Klaus tugged off Annick’s shoes, easy because they still had no shoelaces, and she sluggishly pulled her legs to her chest. He tried to get her to sit up so he could help her into bed, but she refused, biting at the air and blowing raspberries like a child.

“Annick, come on. You need to sleep this off.”

She shook her head, “Piss off,  _ Klaus _ ! I’m comfy here!”

Sighing, Klaus decided to stop fighting her, and he got her some water and a slice of bread with which she drunkenly played with, rolling the dough into balls in her dirty hands.

Annick giggled inwardly and Klaus cocked an eyebrow at her.

“What’s so funny?” He might have found the sight of her amusing ten years ago. Or who knows, maybe four years ago. He wasn’t a fan of it now, though. It was like looking in a mirror and being confronted with how disturbing his adolescence truly was.

“Vodka works so well,” she giggled, “Makes ‘em go away. Poof.” She lifted a fist and stretched her fingers, imitating an explosion.

Klaus’ blood ran cold. “Makes who go away?” He asked shakily, not sure if he was ready for the answer.

Annick simply smirked at him in her haze. She elaborated without answering his question, “They all go ‘way like magic… like th’pills Gran’ma gave me.” She laughed.

Klaus heard that wind in his ears again. “Annick…” he started, fear taking over his voice, “I need you to tell me exactly what you mean-”

He was interrupted by three loud raps on the door.

They both jumped, gasping. Klaus swallowed the lump in his throat and stood up on numb legs. He told Annick he’d be right back and moved to peek through the keyhole. Dave wouldn’t bang like that.

“Police, open up!”

Oh, that was the last fucking thing Klaus wanted to hear.

“Why?” He asked, cringing at his stupidity but flashing Annick a reassuring grin, “We’ve done nothing wrong, here.”

“That wasn’t a question. I’ll give you to the count of three.”

Klaus almost laughed. He felt like a kid playing hide and seek. Annick looked suddenly very scared from her place on the couch and Klaus was about to tell her he would handle this when the door burst open and hit him in the face, nearly knocking him out.

The next few seconds came to him in short observations.

His ears were ringing. He was on the floor. His nose was broken, it must have been, because his entire skull throbbed. He tasted blood. Four men stormed into his apartment. Annick screamed. They’d grabbed her.

Klaus tried to stand, feeling an overwhelming urge to protect her, but he was yanked back.

He called Annick’s name as one of the officers hoisted her off the couch. She struggled, kicking the man and clawing at his hand, pleading for him to stop. Klaus tried to tell her to stop struggling, that it would be okay, but someone wrenched his arms behind him and shoved him over the counter. He registered the click of handcuffs as an officer told him he was under arrest under the suspicion of abduction of a minor.

_ Abduction? Minor? _ This didn’t add up. There must have been a mistake.

Klaus couldn’t help it. The feeling of being held down caused his body to panic and he struggled against the officer, and the man pressed him into the edge of the counter, restricting his diaphragm. Klaus choked, gasping for breath.

He couldn’t see Annick, but he could hear her screaming.

“ _ What are you doing? Stop! Let go of him! _ ”

Klaus tried to tell her that he was okay, that she had to calm down, but his choked voice was muted by a sudden chorus of impossibly loud metallic clangs. He jumped, and the officer behind him pulled him off the counter, shouting something to the others. They dragged Annick away as she screamed, and it was then that Klaus noticed the kitchen cabinets had flown open and pots and pans were scattered across the floor.

He was pulled outside and he caught a glimpse of Annick on the street, lit up by several screeching cop cars. Two officers were holding her, one arm each, as she kicked out.

“Dad!” She screamed, “Stop it! He’s my Dad! Stop!”

“It’s okay! Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine!” He called after her as he was shoved into the back of a police car. They didn’t need to push his head down like that. He did it on reflex. “Just tell Dave-” They slammed the door and Klaus was alone in the dark.

He could see Annick through the window, but the flashing lights of the police cars cast shadows on her face. She might have been crying. She wriggled free of the officers holding her arms and ran for the car Klaus was in. He slapped a hand against the glass and told her everything was going to be okay. She was grabbed, and Klaus was driven away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW for vomiting, drug use, mentions of prostitution, police violence. Take care of yourselves!
> 
> Oof. Things are getting a little dark, folks. I'm so sorry.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warnings in the end notes again but this chapter is pretty tame.  
> I've slowed down a bit with the updates since starting school, (suddenly having a ton of stuff to do is very weird) but I will try to upload consistently! Enjoy, and as always, I love to read your wonderful comments!

Klaus sounded drained over the phone. His voice was low and airy, not tense and raised in panic like it had been when he’d been with him half an hour ago. Dave knew something had happened.

“Klaus? Did you find her?” He switched his phone to his other hand, stuffing his freezing fingers into his coat pocket. It was warmer that day, with the sun, but as soon as it had gone down the temperature had dropped like he’d taken a deep dive into the ocean.

Klaus let out a shaky breath into the phone, “Yes.” He said, “She’s with me, at home.”

Dave sighed in relief, halting himself now. He combed his fingers through his hair, “Oh, good. Is she okay? Where did you find her?”

Klaus paused, “She was waiting for us on the steps. She’s… she’s really drunk, Dave. I found her with a nearly empty bottle of vodka. She’ll be okay, though. I’m taking care of her.”

Dave’s face twisted mournfully. He suddenly felt guilty for suggesting they go out earlier that day. He had hoped that Klaus would have gotten the chance to bond with his daughter, but it only turned into a terrible argument. He shouldn’t have forced it. And whatever they’d said to each other had caused Annick to drink herself into her current state. Dave swallowed, old memories surfacing of Klaus chugging from a bottle of vodka and laughing about it, saying it was his birthday, and that he was allowed to celebrate. Dave wasn’t a fool. He wasn’t celebrating.

“Are you okay?” Dave asked, and he could hear Klaus sigh on the other end.

The sound crackled as Klaus spoke close to the receiver, “I…” He didn’t finish his thought. Dave got it.

“I’ll be home in a few minutes. Just sit tight with her,” Dave picked up his pace again, taking a look around and pointing himself in the right direction, “I love you.”

“Love you, too.” Klaus said. He still sounded far away. Overwhelmed, probably.

Dave hurried home as fast as he could without slipping on the slushy sidewalk. He heard sirens, and anxiety prickled at his lungs before he brushed it away. Klaus was okay. Annick was okay. He’d be home in only a few minutes, and then everything would be fine. They would help Annick into bed and make sure she had enough water, and Dave would hug Klaus and tell him this wasn’t his fault--because he knew he was thinking it--and he would close the shop in the morning and take care of his family.

His stomach dropped as he approached the book shop and found two police cars outside.

Someone was screaming. There were two police officers grabbing at her--Annick. She was kicking her legs and swinging her arms, recoiling from their touch. One of the police cars drove off, siren blaring, and Annick started to cry. She was yelling something along the lines of “ _ You can’t do this! _ ” as she struggled, growing tired and slowing her frantic kicking.

Dave ran up to the scene, rather out of breath now, and called out to someone, anyone, asking what was going on.  _ Where is Klaus? _ An officer held his arm out to push Dave away from the scene, and Dave obeyed, but he wanted to run at them.

Two people, middle-aged, climbed out of the other car and marched up to Annick. They wrapped their arms around her, and Dave noticed the way she flinched away from their touch and tried to push them away-- _where is Klaus?_ _Who are these people?_

He broke free of the officer’s arm and approached Annick, hands out and eyes wide. He called her name and she successfully shoved the two strangers off her.

“Dave!” Annick cried, going pale upon seeing him.

Dave took her arms, not sure if that was overstepping or not, and looked from her to the car to the strangers, “What happened? Are you hurt? Where’s Klaus?”

Her bottom lip quivered as she opened her mouth and closed it, trying to find words.

One of the strangers--the man--shoved Dave’s hands off her and flashed him a warning look. An officer stepped between them.

“No, wait--just stop! Jus’ wait a sec!” Annick was speaking to everyone, whipping her head around and wobbling at the sudden motion. Her eyes were clouded, but wide with fear.

“Ann, who is this man?” The other stranger--the woman--asked.

Annick struggled to speak. She looked at Dave apologetically, then at the man and woman. The officer at Dave’s side had taken hold of his arm, ready to pull him away. He didn’t understand.

“Wait!” Annick gestured to the officer, “I know him! Wait!” The officer loosened his grip on Dave’s arm but didn’t let go.

“This is my… this is Dave.” Annick explained to the man and woman, who were now looking as equally confused as Dave.

“Annick, where is Klaus? Tell me what’s going on.” He tried to speak calmly, to meet her eyes, but he could hear the fear in his own voice and Annick’s eyes were too dazed to find his.

Annick looked like she was about to say something, hesitating, when the man behind her took her arm and moved her behind him. He barked at Dave to back off, and Dave’s knees threatened to give out underneath him. He didn’t know why that scared him so much.

They dragged her away, the man and the woman, as she screamed for them to stop. She called after him, promising to explain. She told him to go to the police station, before the door was closed on her. She was crying.

Dave held his arms over his head as an officer said something to him, but he wasn’t listening. They drove off, leaving Dave in the road.

He had to remember how to breathe. He’d taught Klaus how to breathe after his panic attacks, and his Bubbe had taught him. Hand on the diaphragm. In through his nose, out through his mouth. He corrected his glasses with shaking hands and stood up straight, pointing his attention to his apartment above the book shop. He could see that the door was wide open and that made something twist in his gut.

The apartment was empty, as he’d expected, but he’d still hoped to find Klaus there. What he found instead sent him leaning back against the wall, dizzy and sick. There were droplets of blood on the floor next to the door, and some of their belongings had been thrown around. His flowers had flown off their spot on kitchen counter, evident by the way the vase was shattered across the floor, as if they’d been shoved off by someone falling over the counter. Or pushed against it. There were droplets of blood on the counter as well, smeared. Dave’s fists started to shake and he flexed his jaw.

_ Focus. Game plan _ . Annick had told him to go to the police station. Presumably that was where Klaus was. But why? What happened? Who were those people taking Annick away? They’d hugged her and tried to protect her from him, but she tried to wrestle them off her. It was then that Dave realized perhaps she hadn’t been completely honest with him and Klaus. He hoped he was wrong.

Dave grabbed his car keys from their little bowl and dashed out of there.

He made sure he had his phone with him, just in case, but he kept it in his coat pocket as he drove, already distracted enough. He clutched the steering wheel with such strength that it made his hands hurt, wedding ring digging into his finger hard enough to leave an ugly red mark. He might have been speeding, so he forced himself to slow down. He didn’t need to see any more cops tonight.

He made it to the police station quickly, anyway, and parked haphazardly down the street. He was properly fired up by that point, hands balled into fists and scowling ahead of him. He had to remind himself to calm down before he went inside. He probably didn’t look very harmless, and he wanted to avoid escalating things as much as possible.

They wouldn’t let him see Klaus yet, as he’d only just been brought in. Dave demanded to know the charges, and they wouldn’t tell him that either.

He collapsed into a plastic chair and thought of some of the stories Klaus used to tell him. Stories about getting his teeth kicked in in jail. How the men jeered at him and shoved him around, his then frail body already tender with withdrawal aches. He’d told Dave what the ghosts looked like there, and Dave remembered. Missing eyes, tongues, ears. Shivs sticking out of their necks or their backs. Some of them had purple faces and swollen tongues, bed sheets still tied firmly around their necks. Bent like a silly straw, Klaus had said. Dave felt sick again.

He knew almost everything about Klaus, he thought. Well, he knew the things Klaus was willing to share. He also knew there were some things Klaus couldn’t even share with himself. Dave knew his history well enough to recognize the way Klaus looked at Annick. It was the same look he got when he was recalling something from his own past--about his years on the streets and all that that entailed. When he talked about the academy, which was rare, he would bare his teeth in anger, seething with resentment. But when he talked about being a homeless drug addict he would twitch nervously, wild green eyes flicking around the room and landing on things Dave couldn’t see. He would turn his head down in shame, drawing in on himself. His eyebrows would crease together and he would flick a nervous tongue over the inside of his cheek, just as he did when he looked at Annick when she was acting out.

Dave wished he could help more. He always did, just a little. He’d convinced himself that there was always more to do. Maybe it came from his father’s words--his insistence on Dave to grow into a successful man. He was a decorated veteran by the time Dave was thirteen, and he always jumped on the opportunity to lecture Dave about all the ways he wasn’t “man” enough.

Dave had to protect his family. He had to be the strong one, always. There was no question, and Klaus had tried and tried to convince him otherwise. Klaus had been strong for him, many times. But this was not one of those times when Dave could allow himself to be weak. His strength was needed.

Stop crying, David, he remembered his father saying, after he’d been cornered and beaten by some older boys who’d called him a fag. Do you know how much you embarrass me? I’ve got an image to keep up, you know. Do you care at all? These men respect me. You’re really gonna sit there and let them think my son’s a fairy? His father grabbed him by the arm, then. Not hard, but firm. Now get the fuck up.

Chewing his lip, Dave built up the courage to call someone for help. It took a little longer than he’d hoped. He scrolled through his contacts, struggling to find anyone who could help with the current situation. The only one of Klaus’ siblings he had contact with was Allison, when she’d given him her number when they were planning their wedding.

It was late, he knew that. If she didn’t pick up that would be okay. He could handle this. He was strong.

It rang only twice before she picked up, sounding a bit groggy.

Dave’s throat closed up and he cleared it to speak, “Allison? Sorry to bother you. This is, uh. This is Dave.”

Allison’s tone changed immediately and he heard a rustle. “What happened?” She asked steadily, “Is Klaus alright? Did he...”

Dave knew what she was going to say, so he reassured her before he remembered why he actually called her. Which was worse, relapsing or getting arrested?

He explained to her what had happened as best as he could. He still had no idea what was going on, but he knew that there must have been some sort of mistake. He knew how important it was to Klaus to stay sober and out of trouble, and he knew how hard he was trying. God, did he ever.

Allison agreed to meet him. She said she would head over right away, which surprised Dave. Klaus had described all of his siblings as so distant, indifferent to his suffering or sobriety. Yet Allison clearly cared and was worried about him. He hoped Klaus wouldn’t mind that he asked for her help. He hadn’t gotten the chance to ask him, anyway, but he certainly didn’t want to cause a fight between the siblings. He leaned back in the chair and it squeaked under his weight. He waited.

__

They’d kept the lights on in the holding cell and Klaus was almost grateful. Had it not been for their constant buzzing, he probably could have slept for a little while.

He’d called Dave the first chance he got--his single phonecall. It rang, and Dave never picked up. Klaus had to fight back tears and worry filled his chest as he remembered how he’d left. Had Dave been caught up in all of that too? Had the cops taken him away?

There were other men in the cell with him, but he didn’t care. He cracked an eye open and tried to ignore the way the tender skin screamed. His eyes were a bit swollen, no doubt from his nose injury. He brought his hand up to feel his nose gingerly and winced at the contact. Well, that wasn’t good. He pulled his legs up to his chest and squeezed himself further into the corner.

A man, sallow and gaunt and reeking of booze, puckered his lips at him, making kissing noises. Klaus sighed and closed his eyes.

Abduction of a minor, the cop had said. Now just what the fuck did that mean? Annick had come to him, and she was eighteen.

Klaus froze. Or was she?

His stomach stirred loudly as a sudden wave of chills threatened to crawl up his back. She was lying to him, all this time. He almost laughed, because he had a feeling but didn’t care at the time. Why didn’t he care? He was fucked now. He wasn’t going to bounce back with a kidnapping charge. He might as well just set up home in the cell.

No. There was something more. Klaus focused intently on the floor when he sensed movement in the cell. Movement no one else could see. He knew there were three of them in there with him--that much was obvious. He’d only seen them for a second before he flicked his eyes away, but it was enough time for them to be burned into his eyelids.

One of them was a middle aged woman, impossibly thin and filthy. She had no teeth and her hair was thinning. Another stared at him with cold eyes, and Klaus could see the blood bursting from the side of his head out the corner of his eye. The entrance wound, the exit wound, and the wet, grey brain matter that plopped to the floor. The third one was sitting down, and Klaus thought for a moment that it was a real body before a man in the cell walked through it. It was a young man, slouched against a wall, head dropped to his chest. His left bicep was wrapped in a tourniquet and Klaus didn’t even need to look to know how bad the track marks were.

Annick had said something to him in her drunken haze, and he hadn’t stopped thinking about it.

_ Vodka works so well _ . She’d said.  _ Makes ‘em go away. Poof _ ...  _ Like th’pills Gran’ma gave me _ .

She could have been talking about anything, Klaus reminded himself. He closed his eyes as the feeling of panic rose inside him again. From his stomach to his lungs, and his legs went numb.

_ It could have been anything _ .  _ There was no way to know that- _

He couldn’t even say it in his head. The possibility that she was… like him. That he’d  _ given _ it to her. It was too much to think about. He itched for a cigarette.

Klaus was never someone to think about consequences. He took what the world gave him and laughed it off when things didn’t work out in his favour, because if he didn’t he would spiral. Away from his father’s oppressive shadow, he could do whatever the hell he wanted and no one could tell him otherwise. His actions impacted himself and himself alone, because no one else cared. None of his siblings would care if he died--if they even  _ noticed _ \--and he’d die the junkie husk that he’d resigned himself to be. He’d lived like he was dead among the dead for so long that he forgot he was actually capable of creating life.

So that’s what Annick was talking about before. She was right. He did this to her. It was his fault.

Careless. His fingers twitched with the need to be near her then. She had come to him, and he knew what it was like to feel so isolated. To feel like there was no one to turn to, because no one understood. No one else knew what it was like to be forced to look the aftermath of death in the eyes, for it to follow you everywhere you went. But he did, and he knew that she did too now.

It might have been too late, now. The last he’d seen of Annick, she was being hauled away from the car by two officers. Perhaps they’d locked her up, too. Perhaps someone really was looking for her and that’s why they came, and Klaus would never see her again. He was hardly her father, anyway. She would get better without him, undoubtedly.

Klaus laid down, knees still hugged to his chest, as he shut his sore eyes against the burning of tears. He searched deep inside himself for an inkling of Dave’s optimism. Dave would find her. It would be okay. Wherever they both were, they would come back to him.

__

Allison showed up fast, Dave had to hand it to her. He was inwardly surprised, given the way Klaus often lamented about his family not caring about his wellbeing, but he brushed it aside to thank her profusely. He knew this was out of her way. Not only was he aware she had a very busy life, but he’d called her late.

Dave was unsure if he should hug her or shake her hand. He went with an awkward one-armed side-hug and cringed over her shoulder. She patted his back.

“Have you seen Klaus?” She asked when they parted, a little breathless from running. Dave shook his head.

He explained to her that they wouldn’t tell him the charges and something hardened in her eyes. Her jaw tightened and she turned her head to the desk where Dave had asked to see Klaus.

Dave wasn’t sure what she was planning to do, but he could see that she was turning something over in her mind, standing confident and strong, but hesitating for some reason.

“Excuse me,” she said to the man behind the desk, voice steady and professional, practiced.

The man grunted, hardly acknowledging her presence. His thumbs dashed over his phone as he played a noisy game.

Allison gripped the desk and Dave noticed the way her body stiffened.

“My brother was brought in here a while ago. Klaus Katz is his name. I’d like to know the charges, please.”

“No can do,” the man said without looking at her, and threw his fist up in cheer at something on his screen, “Strictly confidential.”

Dave moved closer to Allison. She straightened her coat and stared the man down, expression cold and full of hate.

“I heard a rumor…”

“Allison?”

She startled, sobering, and Dave noticed the way her eyes dashed around in confusion before she collected herself quickly, expertly.

She thanked the man behind the desk, but there was venom in her voice.

“I’m going to pay his bail,” She spoke suddenly, rifling through her purse for her wallet. Dave protested, shaking his head and begging her not to. She’d already done so much just by showing up.

Allison looked into his eyes, focused, as she spoke to him calmly, “Don’t worry about it. I want to do this.”

Dave was uncomfortable with that, but he felt it would be impolite to tell her no again, so he decided to drop it. He knew she knew that he and Klaus didn’t have a lot of money and likely couldn’t pay his bail. Dave’s ears burned red and he averted his eyes, embarrassment likely evident on his face. Allison simply smiled at him comfortingly and placed a hand on his shoulder.

He should have been able to pay. He was supposed to be able to provide for his family, but he had failed at that. His shoulders slumped as his mind clouded over with self-deprecating thoughts. He should have done something more useful with his life instead of writing crappy sci-fi novels no one read. No wonder his Dad stopped talking to him long ago. It was as if he’d predicted he would be a screw-up.

Allison had been talking with the man at the desk again during Dave’s trance. She came back to him a moment later, face pinched apologetically, and told him they had to pay in the morning. Dave’s stomach fell at that. The realization that Klaus would have to stay there all night, probably among people who could hurt him or among ghosts, and probably in the dark. Dave didn’t know which one Klaus would hate more. He started to shake again and tried to swallow his dread, but it stuck in his throat like a dry pill.

Allison clearly noticed his distress, and she looked concerned. “Come on,” she jabbed her head at the door, “We’ll come back first thing in the morning. Let’s get some air.”

Dave wasn’t sure what to say, so he just nodded. He didn’t want to leave Klaus alone but the man at the desk was eyeing them suspiciously now and he figured he wouldn’t let them stay there all night. Dave’s nose twitched with the urge to scowl at the man, and Allison waited for him at the door as he forced his legs to move away, resigning himself to his uselessness.

She drove him to Griddy’s and Dave was surprised they were still open at that time of night. Allison explained that they had very late hours, and grinned as she recalled memories aloud of sneaking out with her siblings to get sick on doughnuts. Dave remembered Klaus telling him that when he’d first introduced him to the place, back when they were dating.

He worried in the back of his mind that his car would get towed, as it was still parked down the street to the police station, but Allison reassured him they would go back and get it. He hardly cared anymore, anyway.

They sat across from each other at a booth and Allison ordered them coffee. Dave was exhausted, body still jittering with residual anxiety as he bounced his leg subconsciously under the table. He had his head in one of his hands, fingers tangled between his short curls, and his fingers flexed, tugging and scratching.

What the hell happened? Who exactly were those people who took Annick away? Had they called the police? How did they find her? Was she a runaway? And what the hell did the police want with Klaus?

His breath picked up with the realization that they might not see Annick again and how exactly that would impact Klaus. They were just starting to get close to one another, and Dave had grown to like her, to  _ want _ to take care of her, even though she had her moments and her problems. It was nothing Dave couldn’t handle. He was more than willing to take on the responsibility, and he knew that Klaus felt the same way. He was just starting to accept the responsibility of being a parent, and Dave knew that Klaus wanted to take the opportunity to be better, to raise her better than he had been raised, although he also knew how difficult that was for Klaus to say aloud, even to him. Not seeing her again would break him. He would blame himself, most definitely, and Dave tensed with worry as thoughts of what that could cause Klaus to do invaded his mind.

Allison touched his arm, stiff on the table in front of him, with gentle manicured fingers, bringing him back.

“Are you okay?” She asked. At some point the waitress had come over with their coffee, and Dave’s sat untouched by his elbow.

He nodded first, throat bobbing, and then he paused and met her eyes. He couldn’t lie to her. He shook his head no and pulled his glasses off to rub his tired eyes.

“What happened?” Allison asked, voice soft.

Dave told her all he knew, although the events of the night were beginning to blur together into one big mess. He gulped his coffee down, hoping it would wake him up a little. At least, enough to form a coherent sentence. Allison nodded along, anyway. She held his hands with both of hers at some point and that feeling of dread crawled back into Dave’s body. She looked at him so intently, with such concern, and it made the whole situation too real.

She insisted on staying with him overnight so they could head to the station together in the morning, and Dave was too tired to argue. She bought a bottle of whiskey on their way back to his apartment, and Dave momentarily forgot about his car but he didn’t care. Even though Dave had stopped drinking when Klaus did, he took the glass from Allison’s hands gratefully when she held it out to him.

The apartment was still trashed. The lock on the door had been broken off with force and there was nothing Dave could do about that, so he shut the door lazily. There was mud on the hardwood, presumably from the police’s boots when they barged in, and the kitchen cabinets had been thrown open, pots and pans littered across the floor. Were they looking for something? Annick’s small shoes were piled next to the couch and Dave picked them up and dusted them off, placing them neatly by the door.

Allison stiffened when she spotted the dried blood droplets on the counter, and Dave pointed to the ones on the floor. Annick hadn’t been bleeding when he saw her. He knew whose blood it was as soon as he’d seen it the first time, and his hands shook as he brought the whiskey to his lips.

Allison cleaned it up, pushing Dave back into his seat on the couch when he stood up. She’d said offhandedly that she’d cleaned up after Klaus before, and something about that made Dave feel sad, but there was no resentment in her voice. She moved on to clean the broken vase but Dave wouldn’t let her do that. She’d already done enough.

They sat together in silence for a while, Dave on the couch and Allison on the coffee table, but the air was loud between them. After his third glass, Allison told him to go to bed and that she would stay up by the phone. He tilted his head at her, eyes delayed by a few seconds before they landed on her, and he muttered, words a little slurred, “Why are you doing all this?”

He only realized after he’d said it that that might have been rude. He apologized quickly but she didn’t seem offended. She pursed her lips and toyed with the empty glass in her hand, focusing intently on the floor in front of her.

“Because it’s the least I can do?” she sighed. “When we were in our early twenties, I used to send Klaus cheques to pay for rehab. You can imagine that went over well…” She smiled absently and shook her head, pouring herself another glass, and brought it to her lips, then lowered it. “I stopped helping him, eventually. He took advantage of me--of most of us, and I resented him for it for a long time. But after I had Claire…”

Dave listened, leaning forward and balancing his elbows on his knees, glass clasped in his hands.

She shook her head, same distant smile stuck on her lips, “I understood he was hurting. He didn’t relapse and lie and overdose to spite me. So now I’m trying to right all of my wrongs.” She took a sip and smiled tightly at Dave, “He’s still my brother, anyway.”

Dave nodded at that, eyelids growing heavy. He wished Klaus had heard all of that. Did he know that was how she felt? Dave could see the love in her eyes and hear it in her voice. She truly wanted to do better, and she loved him.

He went to bed not long after their conversation, not bothering to undress, head sinking into his pillow. Everything would be better in the morning, he thought.  _ Everything would be better in the morning. Everything would be better in the morning. Everything would be better in... _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW for gay slurs, internalized homophobia, and references to suicide and drug overdose.
> 
> Ohhh Dave, Dave, Davey-Dave. Who else just loves some Dave-Loving-Klaus content? Also, I didn't originally plan for Allison to have as big of a role in this as she now does, but she's here and we love her!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back, folks! Enjoy this one <3  
> Content warnings in the end notes, as always. This one doesn't really need any, though, but just in case!

A chilly draft woke him and he peeled his eyes open slowly, gaze drifting to the window first, which was cracked open slightly. The sun had not quite come up yet, bathing the room in a soft blue hue. Dave stretched his legs out under the sheets and dropped his head to the side on his pillow. He blinked lazily, inches from Klaus’ sleeping face. His dark curls had fallen over his eyes and they blew back gently when Dave breathed out.

He looked peaceful, which was unfortunately strange. He wasn’t muttering in his sleep or thrashing about. His eyes moved behind his eyelids, though, and his face twitched slightly every once in a while. Dave leaned in to kiss his eyelids, taking his time and being gentle.

Klaus’ eyes fluttered open seconds later, bright green in the rising sun. He was always a light sleeper.

Klaus smiled sleepily, chuckling. “Whaaat?” He droned, voice hoarse from sleep, and stretched his arms over his head, “Were you watching me sleep again?”

Dave laughed softly, “I can’t help it. You looked so peaceful.”

Klaus flashed him a loving smile before shuffling closer so they were pressed against each other. Dave stroked his cheek, thumbing at the stubble on the side of his jaw, and brushed his curls out of his eyes, tucking them behind his ear. Klaus draped an arm over his waist and closed the small gap between them, planting a soft kiss on his lips.

Dave held him close, fingers reaching to the back of his head, cradling him, and he kissed back eagerly but gently, gently, taking it slow. They had time to spare.

“Eww, Jesus!”

They parted. Annick was in the doorway, hands coming up to cover her eyes. “Put a sign on the door or something! God!” She flailed her hands as if to shake water off of them and stuck her tongue out, shuddering.

“Alright, alright,” Klaus chided, turning onto his back, “We get it. What do you want so early in the morning?”

Annick recovered, stifling a gag, and ignored Klaus’ question, looking directly at Dave.

“Dave,” she said steadily, “You need to go get Klaus. I have to talk to you.”

Dave’s face scrunched up in confusion. He sat up slightly in bed, flicking his eyes down at Klaus, who was very much there. “What are you talking about?” He asked, sleepiness slurring his words.

Annick’s voice sounded strange. She opened her mouth and it crackled like static. “Dave, seriously, please? I need you to do this. I can’t right now but I promise I’ll meet you soon.”

He tilted his head to the side as he realized her voice was actually coming from the small radio on Klaus’ bedside table. Annick was still standing in the doorway as her mouth moved. He looked from her to the radio and slapped his ear. Klaus looked up at him in confusion.

“Dave!” Annick called again, trying to get him to focus, “You have to wake up now.”

Dave blinked harshly as she called his name once more, louder than before, and the room changed colour.

He was lying on his side, chin slick with drool, and the room was slightly darker. Had he just been talking in his sleep? He patted the space on the mattress next to him. Empty. The radio buzzed with static next to the bed and he reached out and grabbed it before it shut itself off.

“Oh, good! You’re awake.” Allison said as she approached the door, fully dressed and fresh-faced, fist raised to knock. He’d forgotten she’d stayed over.

Dave made a sound of acknowledgement and rubbed his eyes, groaning involuntarily as he raised himself off the mattress. He was still dressed in his clothes from the day before and his head throbbed something terrible.

“Grab your coat, we gotta go.” Allison reminded him and turned down the short hallway.

Dave nodded, sparing a confused glance at the radio, then shaking out his hair and standing to find his things.

Allison burst through the doors of the station first, and Dave was impressed with her liveliness so early in the morning. The sun had only started to rise as they drove and Dave’s head was still pounding. Allison paid the bail, as she’d promised, even though it still made Dave uncomfortable.

While they waited for Klaus, Dave decided to try something again. He approached the desk as politely as he could but he was exhausted and growing weary with trying to stay calm. He tapped his fingers against the desk subconsciously and jiggled his leg. He couldn’t stand still and his chest fluttered with anticipation, anxious to see Klaus and hold him.

“Excuse me.” He said, attempting to sound calm and steady as Allison had the night before. He did not.

The man at the desk rolled his eyes subtly, but Dave didn’t miss it. He asked Dave what he wanted, as if he was a twelve year old boy and Dave had interrupted his video game.

Clearing his throat and squaring his shoulders, Dave asked what Klaus’ charges were. They’d paid his bail, and Klaus had stayed there all night, so surely they would tell him now.

The man shrugged casually, a bit annoyed. “Sorry, can’t help you.” He turned his attention to his phone. “We don’t just share files with anyone who asks.”

Dave clenched his jaw at that and his hand on the desk curled into a fist. He was aware of Allison beside him, stepping closer in concern, and he was aware of the other people scattered throughout the station. He was especially aware of his father’s voice in his head, growing bigger and louder, as if he were in the room with him, towering over him.  _ I hope this queer is worth it, David, because you’re never welcome here again. No son of mine is a fucking queer. Look, you’re making your mother cry. Just get out. Get the fuck out, now _ ! Dave’s chest heaved in anger and his voice came out cold and sharp from years of restraint,

“Yeah? Well I’m his fucking husband, so pull up the file.”

Dave squeezed his eyes shut as soon as he’d said it. He felt compelled to say “please” afterwards, surprised at his own anger, but swallowed it. He was sick of this. He was afraid to open his eyes, to see the people around him staring. Staring and judging, disgusted by him. A soft hand placed itself on his bicep and he gasped, involuntarily opening his eyes to face the person.

It was Allison, concerned but strong. She met his eyes with an unspoken question, making sure he was okay. Dave nodded mutely and Allison smiled proudly at him, and the man at the desk sighed.

The man pulled up the file on the computer in front of him, excruciatingly slow on purpose. Dave took a deep breath.

A few minutes later, the man told him that they wanted to investigate Klaus’ case for kidnapping of a minor. Dave took a surprised step back, face crinkling in shock and confusion, and he could feel Allison react the same way at his side. That was bullshit. Kidnapping of a minor? He hadn’t kidnapped anyone, and Annick was eighteen, wasn’t she?

Dave’s thoughts were interrupted by an echoed clang down the hallway to their right and he whipped around to face it, previous thoughts washing away as he immediately recognized the voice coming from the direction of the sound.

“That’s total bullshit, my dude, if you think I believe  _ that _ !” It was unmistakably Klaus’. It was high and airy, and thankfully didn’t sound pained or afraid. Dave’s breath hitched and he bounced on his heels.

“My sister’s schmoozing it up in LA. She stopped paying for my crap a  _ loooong _ time ago. Y’know, if you wanted to make me laugh you could have just pulled your pants down-”

And there was Klaus, being tugged down the hall by the arm by a rather large and stone-faced officer. Klaus froze when he saw them and his jaw dropped. “Allison?” He asked first, barely audible, and then, “Dave!”

Dave took that as an invitation and ran up to him. The officer let go of Klaus’ arm and Dave pulled him into an embrace, swinging him side-to-side slightly as Klaus’ feet nearly lifted off the ground at the impact.

Klaus hugged him back, letting out a relieved sigh, and Dave cradled the base of his skull, nuzzling his nose into his neck and breathing in. Klaus’ arms were wrapped over Dave’s shoulders and he brought a hand up to his hair, and Dave noticed how it shook.

They stayed like that for a moment before parting, and Dave couldn’t help but gasp when he finally got a good look at Klaus’ face.

There was a gnarly stream of dried blood that ran from his nose to his chin and it had dripped all over the front of his shirt. His normally bright eyes were slightly squinted and bruised purple underneath, and a blood vessel had burst in one of them. Dave held his face in his hands firmly.

“Klaus--” He breathed, panic rising in his voice, “Oh my god, sweetheart what happened?” He suddenly remembered the blood in their apartment and his stomach turned.

Klaus took his hands and lowered them. He prodded his nose carefully. “Cops hit me with the door. I’m okay, though. This is nothing.”

That made Dave’s heart hurt and he tried to mask the way his hands shook. He leaned in, touching their foreheads together, and Klaus’ eyes drifted shut, long eyelashes tickling Dave’s cheeks.

“I’m sorry.” Dave whispered, “I’m sorry. We shouldn’t have split up. I should have been there.”

Klaus moved them apart enough to focus on his face. “Dave, you couldn’t have prevented this.” He touched his cheek. “I’m glad you weren’t there. You could have gotten hurt.”

Dave nodded sadly and pulled Klaus into another hug, gentler this time. Klaus rested his cheek on his shoulder and Dave leaned into the feeling of his soft breath on his neck, rubbing circles into his back.

He couldn’t contain the way his jaw tightened with rage, though, and he stared coldly under his lashes at the officer who had brought Klaus out, molars grinding. They would have to leave soon. Otherwise he was really going to lose his cool.

Klaus tapped his back gently and moved them slightly apart, eyes drifting past him to look at Allison. He addressed them both, “Annick’s not with you?”

Dave knew the question was coming, but he’d been dreading it. “No,” He muttered, “These... people took her. They seemed to know her.”

Klaus’ eyes widened--as much as they could--and his face crumpled. He bowed his head, trying to hide his expression, and nodded once.

“Klaus,” Allison said from Dave’s side. She placed a hand on Klaus’ shoulder, “Don’t worry. We’ll find her, okay?”

He looked at her under his eyelashes, eyes fearful and uncertain. He nodded again and spoke quietly, “You’re here… how? Why?”

Allison crossed her arms, scrunching up her face as if he’d said something absurd. “FYI, I was staying with Vanya these last few days.”

“What, Why?”

“Since when am I not allowed to visit my sister? You’re welcome, by the way.”

Klaus let out a weak and breathy laugh, eyebrows creasing together sadly. He hugged her then, and Allison startled for a second before hugging him back, tipping her head against his.

“Thank you...” Klaus’ voice was muffled into her hair, “I love you.”

She smiled at that, rolling her eyes slightly. “I love you, too. C’mon.” She patted his arm and they parted. Klaus sniffled.

They took the car back--which had a ticket on the windshield. Oops--and got Klaus’ nose corrected and patched up. He’d refused pain medicine, and the doctor actually asked him if he was sure, but he stood firm. Dave could tell it hurt badly, though. He could also tell that Klaus had probably not slept much, evident by his vacant stare and the way his head bobbed in the car before he would bring it up suddenly, sucking in a gasp.

The three of them went back to the apartment and Klaus told Allison she could go home, but Allison insisted on staying until they found Annick and sorted everything out. Klaus smiled sadly at her when she said that and Dave could see his arms twitch with the urge to hug her. Dave took him to their room not long after to tuck him into bed.

Dave was waiting for something, and the anticipation put him on edge. He wasn’t sure exactly what he was waiting for, but as he lowered a fresh shirt over Klaus’ head his eyes fell on the radio beside the bed and he remembered his strange dream.

“Dave…” Klaus said slowly, and took his wrist in his hand. “There’s something I have to tell you.”

Dave quirked an eyebrow at that. “Klaus, you need to rest.”

Klaus shook his head, eyes focused intensely on Dave’s. “No. This is important. It’s about Annick.”

Dave pulled up the chair from across the room and balanced himself on the edge of it, facing Klaus intently. “Okay.”

Klaus was hesitating for some reason. Dave could tell by the way his shoulders rose as he held his breath, and the way his gaze moved, fearful and uncertain.

“Sh...she told me something strange. When she was drunk.” Klaus began, voice shaking. He cleared his throat, “She told me that vodka and pills made... ‘ _ them _ ’ go away…”

Dave frowned and took Klaus’ outstretched hand, stroking his knuckles comfortingly with his thumb. “What does that mean?”

Klaus’ throat bobbed as he swallowed, staring at something near the corner of the room and going extremely still. He kept his eyes there as he whispered, “I think she might... be like me.”

“Like you?” It took a moment for Dave to realize what Klaus meant by that, but when he did he opened his mouth to console him immediately, to tell him he was wrong, even though he couldn’t possibly know that. And he knew that Klaus knew that, too.

Klaus squeezed his eyes shut and his hand grew clammy in Dave’s. He was struggling to speak.

“It’s just that… if I… if I  _ gave _ this to her…”

They were interrupted by a gentle knock on the door, and Allison appeared on the other side of it. Klaus’ eyes widened and he snapped his mouth shut expertly fast. He looked like a deer in the headlights for a moment and shook his head subtly at Dave when he quirked a confused eyebrow at him. He was telling Dave not to continue the conversation with Allison in the room, and Dave didn’t understand why.

“Klaus?” Allison spoke now, “Sorry to bother you guys. I’m going to buy more gauze for your nose. Is there anything else you wanted?”

Klaus shook his head, slipping into his facade with practiced ease. He grinned at her and thanked her.

Dave stood. “I’ll go get it, Allison. You’ve already done enough for us.”

Allison asked if he was sure, and he nodded, telling her to just relax at their place. Klaus flashed him a desperate look and Dave felt a bit guilty for cutting their conversation short. But he could tell that talking about it was distressing to Klaus, and he needed to sleep. They would revisit it after he had some rest.

Dave kissed him on the top of the head and Klaus pinched his lips to the side, fighting a glare. He huffed and resigned himself to the bed, turning over and tugging the blanket up to his ear.

“I’ll be back in a few.” Dave whispered against Klaus’ hair. Klaus was still turned away from him, silent.

He wanted to tell Klaus that it wasn’t his fault--if he was correct and Annick had inherited his powers. That they would all be okay because he was there. That he was proud of him-- _ so fucking proud _ \--that he was really trying for his daughter and staying sober at the same time.

He would tell him all of those things as many times as it took for Klaus to believe him. But he had to get gauze so Klaus wouldn’t bleed over his pillowcase. He would tell him as soon as he got back, with Klaus’ favourite sour candy too.

At the front door, Dave shrugged his coat on and turned to Allison, who was standing next to him with her arms folded over her chest. Maybe she was cold. He would have offered her one of his sweaters.

“If… if he has a nightmare…” Dave began.

“I know what to do.”

Dave was actually surprised at that and he momentarily forgot the two were siblings and that it probably wasn’t so strange that Allison knew how to help with Klaus’ nightmares.

That must have registered on Dave’s face because Allison smiled reassuringly at him and spoke, “Don’t worry, he’ll be okay. I’ve got it.”

Dave nodded to her in thanks, promising to be back soon. He dashed down the metal stairs. He really didn’t want to be out long, worried that he may have upset Klaus.

Movement by the side of the building caught his eye and he twisted himself around to face it, darting his eyes left to right, before whispering, “Annick! What are you doing here-”

There was a person hiding in the shadows, but it wasn’t Annick. The person stepped forward and Dave recognized her as the woman from the night before. The woman who had grabbed Annick and pulled her into the car.

Dave wasn’t sure what to say so he simply blinked at her. The woman’s expression was sour, tight. She resembled Annick, but only very slightly. She seemed guarded, looking around them with unease.

“Listen-” The woman began in a hoarse voice, but she was silenced by the sound of the apartment door swinging open and boots on the metal landing.

Dave lifted his gaze to Klaus, who had popped outside with a cigarette between his lips. He was holding a lighter to it when his eyes caught on Dave’s and he descended the stairs, cautiously. Dave wanted to shake his head at him, to tell him to stop and walk back, but it was too late.

“Oh!” Klaus exclaimed upon seeing the woman, “Hello. What’s this?” He gestured between them with a lazy hand.

The question was aimed at Dave, but he didn’t have an answer so he just gaped between Klaus and the woman. She glared coldly at Klaus, nostrils curling.

“I’m Annick’s grandmother. I came to tell you that my granddaughter is very sick, and that I’d appreciate it if you stayed away from her.”

Klaus huffed out a small laugh and lit the cigarette, taking his time. He drew on it, breathing out with a chuckle, “Sick.” He parroted dryly.

“I know you might think this is hilarious,” The woman glared, jaw tight, “but I’ll not have anyone confusing her.”

Dave watched as all attempts at politeness vanished from Klaus’ demeanour. Not that there was much to begin with.

“Confusing her? About what, now?” Klaus cocked his head, smiling tightly with a frown.

The woman clenched and unclenched her jaw. She seemed to not want to look Klaus in the eyes, gaze drifting awkwardly about. “We were trying to  _ help _ her, before you came along. She belongs with us, where we can medicate her and get her the proper help she needs.”

Dave drifted closer to Klaus, sensing his building anger.

“Okay. Okay, fine.” Klaus nodded along, flicking his ashes away. “And what exactly do you think is wrong with her?”

The woman hesitated, opening and closing her mouth as she struggled. Klaus simply watched her expectantly, eyebrows high. Dave could feel things escalating, and he took a breath, prepared to deescalate the situation as soon as possible. They did not need to be in any more trouble than they already were.

The woman took a brave step forward and stared Klaus in the eyes, voice low, “I know what you are. But Annick is not going to find out, alright?”

Klaus actually looked amused. “I think you might be wrong about that. See, lady, she came to  _ me _ . So, she must have known something already.”

The woman took a step back, still glaring intensely. “I’ll say it again. She belongs with her grandparents. If you so much as try to contact us, I will have you arrested.”

“She’s my daughter.” Klaus interjected quickly, coldly. He tossed his cigarette on the pavement and stared down at the woman. “And sure, maybe I only just met her, and maybe I’m not the parent everyone wants or deserves. But if you think I’m gonna just take your little threat and put my tail between my legs, you’re mistaken.”

Dave watched Klaus fondly as he spoke and couldn’t help but smirk proudly. There was a fire in Klaus’ eyes and a genuine confidence in his body. Not like the flamboyant facade he usually wore. He meant every word, and Dave could only watch in awe.

The woman shifted her weight on her feet and looked from Klaus to Dave, clenching her fists. “My daughter was right about you.” She said to Klaus through grit teeth, “You’re a freak. And I won’t have you ruining my granddaughter any more than you already have by being her father.”

She sauntered off at that and Klaus stayed where he was, staring pointedly at the brick wall behind the spot the woman had just stood. Dave ran a careful hand down his arm and tipped his head, trying to catch Klaus’ eye.

Klaus let out a long sigh and his eyes drifted shut. When he opened them they were focused, strong. He turned to Dave and his gaze softened only slightly.

“There’s something going on there. Something bad, and I think Annick knew that, and that’s why she found me.” He kept his eyes on Dave’s and Dave reached out and cupped his cheek, careful to avoid his bruised eyes.

He nodded evenly and Klaus leaned into his touch. Klaus was right. There was more to this story. More that Annick had not told them, and there was probably a reason why she hadn’t, and god willing they were going to find out why.

Looking at Klaus’ stern face, Dave suddenly felt so much love and pride. He could have punched through walls with the sudden motivation he felt to fight for Klaus’ daughter.  _ His _ daughter too, technically, he thought.

“She needs us.” Klaus said, “I’m not giving up on her.”

Dave smiled and brushed a strand of hair out of Klaus’ face. He decided then was a good time to tell Klaus how he’d been feeling.

“I hope you know how proud I am of you…” He began, and watched as Klaus’ eyes softened with a small smile. “You’re strong, Neshama Sheli. And I’m right there with you, all the way.”

Dave used the term of endearment sparingly, not wanting it to lose its meaning over time, so every time he did it brought a softness to Klaus’ eyes and a shy smile that Dave adored. He pulled Klaus into a hug with no intention of letting go for a very long time. Dave loved him more than anything, and he loved Annick, too. A fire burned in his chest with the desire to bring her safely back to them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (CW for gay slurs and a liiittle bit of internalized homophobia. Just like one paragraph, though)
> 
> The boys are back together! That marks the end of the Dave POV for now, unfortunately. I didn't expect to love writing him this much!  
> As usual, I love to read your thoughts on the chapter and talk to you about that good good klave shit <3


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!! School is crazy right now, but I thought you guys deserved an update <3 Enjoy! Content warnings in the end notes, as always!

There were only two ways out of the small motel bathroom and Annick knew they were both futile.

Option one: She could try to squeeze herself out of the narrow window above the toilet. It wouldn’t be a big fall. Only about seven feet, probably. That is, if she could actually fit, which she knew she couldn’t.

Option two: She could walk out the front door, but she would have to get past her grandparents somehow, so that wasn’t going to happen.

She’d managed to do ‘it’ that morning. She’d concentrated extremely hard and projected herself somehow, through something. Air waves? Was it her mind? Her spirit? Try as she might, she couldn’t replicate it.

She was lucky enough to latch onto the radio in Klaus’ room, and even luckier to have woken Dave. But she’d made a mistake. She told Dave she would see him soon and explain everything, and now the sun was going down and she had no way out. Even if she could manage to run away, it would just put Klaus in deeper trouble. Her grandparents would call the police and he would most likely be blamed for her disappearance. After all, who would the cops have an easier time believing?

She brought her knees to her chest from her place in the dry bathtub and cradled her head in her hands. She’d really fucked it all up. Really badly. Shit. All she ever wanted were answers.

A knock at the door startled her and she leaned away from it, jaw tight and eyes wide.

“Annick?” Her grandpa called, “It’s time to take your pills.”

She let out a shaky breath.  _ No, please, no, not those _ . She sat in silence, willing him to just go away.

“Annick,” He called again, slight twinge of impatience in his voice, “You’re not making this easier for anyone. Just take the pills for tonight. We’re driving home tomorrow and taking you back to the hospital.”

She rose, hands shaking in fists, “No!”

She could hear her grandpa sigh behind the door. He paused. “Listen. It’ll be good for you-”

“I’m not going back to the hospital! You can’t force me!”

“Ann-! The fact that you ran away the second you were discharged is proof that you need more treatment! You’re not well enough to go back into the world.”

Annick bit down on her lip.  _ Well enough _ ? The only reason she was so angry in the first place was because they brought her to that point. She wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly feeling rather small. She wanted to see Klaus. He wouldn’t let them take her to the hospital. Unless, of course, she’d royally messed up their relationship and he now wanted nothing to do with her. She tried not to think about it.

“If you don’t come out and take your pills right now I’ll drive you there tonight.”

The threat was enough to get her to move. She hesitated at first, stepping forwards and backwards, willing herself to open the door. Maybe, if she just tried, she could fit through the window. Or maybe she could project again and ask for help. She tensed, squeezing her hands into fists and attempting to concentrate. There was a bang on the door.

“Annick! Enough. Come on.”

She dropped her fists. Useless. When she opened the door, her grandpa was already standing across the room fishing a familiar small orange bottle from a bag. She swallowed, throat suddenly feeling dry, and shook her head. She could see the frustration on her grandpa’s face, but before he could get a word out he was interrupted by the door swinging open.

Annick’s grandma walked in and smiled at her, which made Annick feel uneasy. She crossed the room and took the pill bottle from her husband, popping it open and shaking two pills into her palm.

“Grandma-” Annick tried to protest.

She shot Annick a very pointed look, which shut her up quickly. “Ann… you know it’s better if you take these. You shouldn’t have gone off them for as long as you did.”

Annick stared at the little pills in her grandma’s hand, hoping her shaking wasn’t obvious. She had been on the pills for years, so it probably was a bad idea for her to have suddenly stopped taking them cold turkey, but she wasn’t thinking about the consequences at the time. She was just thinking about getting  _ out _ .

They were giving her a higher dose at the hospital. She could tell by the way they zonked her out for days at a time, and she’d tried to refuse them but the doctors threatened to force feed her. She knew what they were. Antipsychotics. And that was because she’d been told when she was twelve that she had schizophrenia, around the time she’d started… seeing things.

She was old enough to remember the few brief times her mother had told her about her dad, back when she was allowed to see her. Back before meth took her life.

He was… special, her mom had said. Kind of a freak. She said he could talk to the dead, and Annick, only five, was intrigued by that at the time. Of course, her grandparents had never mentioned her dad. Whatever she had learned about him was in secret, when she would see her mom. It was only a few years later that she’d seen the man her mom was talking about on an old rerun on television. She’d recognized his name, and his appearance matched her mom’s description. Annick resembled him, too. It all crashed down on her at that point. Her dad was a real person, and a celebrity at that, and he was probably still alive somewhere. And she had so many questions for him, so many questions about herself. So she went to find him the first chance she got.

“I don’t need them.” Annick said, almost silently. Her grandma’s face twisted.

“Yes, you do. Don’t be silly.”

“No, you don’t understand--” Annick tried to hide the way her voice raised, “I’m not crazy. I’m like Klaus! It’s this… this weird thing he can do. He can speak to the dead, but he’s not crazy! They really are there! And I can do it too-”

“Annick, stop.”

“-I can do it too because I’m his daughter! You don’t understand-”

“We understand perfectly well.” Her grandpa cut in, “That man is sick, just as you are, because you got it from him. We were trying to spare you the pain and disappointment of meeting him and finding that out.”

Annick shook her head, distraught. “I don’t understand…”

“You’re not wrong about it being genetic…” Her grandma said, gently, “But you don’t have powers. That’s some silly story he came up with that managed to convince your mother. I’m sorry, Ann. He passed this illness onto you.”

“But the difference between you and him,” Said her grandpa, “is that you have us to take care of you and get you the proper help you need. So, please take your pills and go to bed?”

Annick didn’t know what to say. Her mouth hung open, lips trembling, and she willed the tears in her eyes not to fall. That wasn’t right. She remembered reading about it… the Umbrella Academy. It was real.

Her heart sank. Or maybe she’d just made it up in her mind. How could she know what was real and what wasn’t? She hadn’t taken her pills in days. The lamps next to the beds started to rattle, and the lights flickered. For a moment the whole room shook, and she caught her grandparents’ fearful expressions before her grandma stepped closer, holding out her hand.

Annick reached for the pills with shaking fingers and took the glass of water her grandpa offered her. She swallowed them quickly and stood numbly in the middle of the room. The rattling stopped and her grandparents looked down at her sadly. No, with pity. She could feel herself scowling at the floor, and her eyes began to burn with unshed tears.

“Honey…” Her grandma put a gentle arm around her and guided her to her bed, “It’s okay to be angry with him for this.”

She let her grandma tuck her into bed and she stared at the pale wall, silent.

“Everything’s okay, now. You’ll feel better tomorrow when we get back to the hospital, I promise.”

Annick closed her eyes and tried to concentrate. She listened to her grandparents shuffle around the room for the next few minutes. The sound of them getting into bed. The sound of cars driving by outside. The sound of the radiator against the wall. She tried to project, but she could feel herself becoming weak, drowsy. She made a weak fist and her arm slumped over the bed as she drifted into sleep.

__

Klaus had been drawing nervous circles into the table with his fingernail for the better part of half an hour when Allison gently touched his wrist. She’d been talking with Dave for a while, but Klaus had stopped listening a long time ago.

His hand stopped, and he looked up for the first time in god-knows how long. The swelling in his eyes had gone down, but left awful purple bruises in its place that ached and throbbed every time he moved his gaze. His nose still ached something horrible, but he welcomed the pain if it gave him something to focus on that wasn’t Annick and her current whereabouts, which were still unknown.

Allison still looked surprisingly calm, but upon closer inspection Klaus noticed the subtle ways her smile faltered or her gaze drifted, concerned and fearful. She was a good actress.

He could feel Dave’s arm around his waist and his leg pressed against his own from his spot next to him in the booth, but he had been trying to avoid his eyes. He wasn’t sure what to say or do, and the familiar feeling of powerlessness had him shrinking in his seat.

“I could…” Allison started, unprompted, “If you wanted, I could… rumor her grandparents?”

Oh, absolutely not. Klaus was unable to hide the shocked grimace on his face, and he shook his head. He knew Allison hadn’t used her powers in ages, and he remembered why.

“No… no.” Klaus murmured, lowering his eyes to the table once more, “Please don’t. If I’m going to get her back, I’m going to do it right.”

Allison nodded mutely and busied herself with blowing on her coffee, staring into the mug.

“So… you definitely want her back?” She asked.

Klaus wasn’t sure what to say. He finally looked at Dave, having to turn his entire head to look at him to avoid a sharp pain under his eyes. Dave offered him a small smile, but Klaus couldn’t return it.

He felt exhausted. His movements were sluggish, and his thoughts weren’t much better. He did know one thing, though, and that was that he did want to get Annick back. He hadn’t even put that much thought into it, which he knew he would probably regret later. She drove him crazy but he couldn’t explain it. Around Annick, he felt like he had some semblance of a purpose, a reason to do better. And he didn’t believe he’d ever felt that way before. Sure, meeting Dave had given him a reason to get sober and do better, if not for himself then for Dave, the literal love of his life, but it was different with Annick. He knew that he was responsible for more than one of her problems, which were quite similar to his own, and if there was anything he learned from his helpful sister, it was that righting his wrongs was the best thing to do. It seemed to give Allison some peace of mind, anyway, and Klaus could use some of that.

And, of course, he cared about Annick. Probably more than he would admit out loud.

“Yes.” Klaus swallowed, and glanced at Dave, who smiled at him again. “If you’re okay with that.”

Dave simply nodded, “Of course.”

Allison then asked Dave how he was holding up, which seemed to catch Dave off guard. “You’re taking the sudden daughter thing surprisingly well.” She said.

That was Dave, alright. He was always liquid, easily filling whatever role was presented to him--or forced on him--with little complaint. He could take almost any blow with ease, always excellent at adapting, but Klaus knew the reason he was like that. He was aware of the impossible standards that Dave held himself to, which he also knew were brought on by his delightful hard-ass of a father and, by extension, arguably all of the men in his family.

All military men, they were. Obsessed with their own definition of strength, accumulated by decades of repressed emotion and good ol’ American patriotism. Dave was unfortunate enough to be born the only boy in his immediate family, so all of those expectations came crashing down on his soft little infant head.

Klaus could see that Dave was thinking about his answer. He had a faded smile on his lips and his eyes were focused on the counter across the restaurant, scanning the doughnut menu but not reading. He looked so beautiful, even under the florescent lights which made  _ no one _ look flattering.

Klaus felt compelled to apologize. Dave didn’t ask for this. He didn’t even get a say in the matter. How could he be completely okay with gaining a teenage daughter overnight--a total stranger, with  _ powers _ and probably a decade’s worth of mental health problems? Klaus didn’t deserve him. He never did.

“Well, I knew she was telling the truth about being Klaus’ daughter the moment I saw her.” Dave spoke, resting his chin in his hand, “She looked just like him. It was kind of spooky, actually.”

Klaus pursed his lips as Allison smiled back at Dave. “Yeah, but that doesn’t really answer the question…” He muttered.

Dave turned to him in his seat and pulled his arm away from his waist to rest on his shoulders. “Klaus, I love you more than anything.” His voice was sincere, and Klaus drew in a breath.

“So, if you really want her, and that makes you happy, then that’s what I want too.”

Klaus could actually feel himself blush a bit and he looked over at Allison, who was smiling at the two of them, head in her hands. He had to slip into humour because he would cry if he didn’t.

“Pfft, okay. You’re just happy your kid wish came true.”

Dave laughed at that and rolled his eyes before planting a kiss on the side of his head. “Okay, sure.” He said, “But I also like her. I can tell she’s not really a bad kid. She just needs her dads.”

Ah, shit. There it was. Klaus felt his eyes well up with tears and he cleared his throat pathetically, reaching a shaking hand across the table to grab his now cold coffee. Dave obviously noticed because he rubbed his shoulder comfortingly and gave it a little squeeze while Klaus took a sip.

He caught Allison’s eye and realized she was looking at him with an expression he’d never seen on her before. It took him a few minutes to find the word before he sat back in shock. She was  _ proud _ . Of  _ him _ . Klaus took a few deep breaths. He could blame his teary eyes on his broken nose.

Speaking into his mug, Klaus told Allison she could go home, and he thanked her for her help.

As expected, Allison scoffed and told him she would stay with him until they found Annick, before adding, “If you want. If you’re okay with that.”

Klaus knew what was going on in Allison’s head. She wanted so badly to help him get his daughter back, and a deep sympathy welled up in his chest. He felt for her, truly.

The feeling was quickly snuffed out by intense guilt when he remembered what he had been withholding from her. It was likely that Annick had powers, which meant that he gave them to her. He purposefully had avoided discussing it in front of Allison in fear of her reaction. If Annick had powers, then what did that mean for Claire? How did it work? Did Claire only have a fifty percent chance of inheriting them? Did Annick? Or was it predestined, unavoidable?

Klaus swallowed the lump in his throat when he realized he wasn’t brave enough to bring it up with his sister. Maybe he could just hide it from her forever. And maybe Claire would never develop powers, and they would never have to talk about it. He would never tell her that Annick had powers. It could be their secret, and Allison could look at her daughter with love and pride instead of fear and guilt. He would give anything to make sure Allison never felt that way.

“Allison,” He set his coffee down and reached across the table to take her hand, tentatively. He waited for her to return the gesture before speaking, “After this, I’ll help you get Claire back. Pinky promise.”

He expected Allison to protest, but she smiled instead. He almost didn’t catch the way her eyes went glassy and she nodded, smiling wide and lovingly.

She looked down at the table sadly, and Klaus could almost read her mind. He wanted to tell her that it wasn’t hopeless, that they could do it. Without using their powers, he would add. When Allison looked back up at him, he realized he didn’t need to say anything. She squeezed his fingers.

“Thanks, Klaus.” She whispered.

He offered her a toothy grin and hoped his smile didn’t reflect any of the anxiety he was feeling inside.

__

The bed was moving. Swaying. She felt her body get pushed and pulled with each sway and it made her feel nauseous. The plush surface underneath her jumped, taking her body with it. Her head was lifted for only a second before it came crashing back down, and she awoke with a jolt, but her eyelids were so heavy. There were voices speaking nearby.

“...tells her about...”

“...won’t find her, don’t worry.”

Annick tried to keep her eyes open, blinking blearily. Her head felt like lead, too heavy to move, and her eyes kept rolling back into her skull. She caught glimpses, but they were too blurry to properly focus on. Still, she could tell she wasn’t in the motel anymore. It was dark, but lights moved across her eyelids. She tried to follow them, to see how they painted the scenery around her, but they only confused her more. Her tongue felt like sandpaper and she tried to speak, but only let out a short wheeze.

“...needs to be kept here…”

She forced her eyes open, blinking rapidly, and tried to move her neck to get a better look around. She regognized where she was, somewhat. She was in a car. Her cheek was resting on the seat and she was wrapped in a tight blanket. Was she moving? She felt the bumps and the turns, and that seemed to answer her question.

Annick lifted her head with a gasp, which warranted a reaction from the front of the car. Two faces turned to her and the car slowed to a sudden stop. She rolled forwards on the seat with the movement.

“Shit. Ann, just relax. It’s going to be okay.” Her grandma was saying. She had reached behind her seat in a poor attempt to calm Annick, but her voice sounded on edge.

There was no way Annick was going to just sit back and calm down. She had no idea where the hell she was or  _ why _ she was there. Did Klaus and Dave know where she was? Oh, no.

She wriggled, anxiety increasing, and managed to free herself from the blanket despite her grandma’s fretting and insistence on her staying calm. Annick reached a hand out for the door and startled when her other hand went with it, nearly sending her falling against the window.

“Annick, you need to listen to us. You have to stop fighting.”

Her breath came in gasps. She looked at her hands. Wherever they were parked was lit with orange streetlamps, and they illuminated the leather around her wrists.

A belt. Her wrists were bound with a belt. Moving her legs involuntarily in a panic, she realized her ankles were bound as well.

It clicked, then. She knew where she was.

“Come on.” Said her grandpa as he stepped out of the car, “We had to, Annick.”

Annick shook her head, eyes so wide it hurt, and her grandpa looked away as he moved to open her door. She turned to her grandma, pleading with her. She simply looked down and exited the car silently.

Annick wanted to scream. She wanted to kick and scream and make as much noise as she could. She could break free of the belts, if she tried. How hard could it be? She’d seen people do it in movies, she was sure. She wrestled with the leather, pulling her wrists apart, twisting them, and it cut into her skin, burning like a blade.

The back door opened and she picked up her pace, ducking her head to gnaw on the belt instead. She couldn’t make a sound. Was she too afraid, or was she too weak?

They grabbed at her and she kicked her legs out.  _ They hadn’t even put shoes on her? _ She managed to land a kick in the crook of her grandpa’s elbow and he recoiled, cradling it.

She halted, end of the belt slipping from her teeth. “I-I’m sorry. Grandpa, I’m sorry.”

But something on his face changed. He scowled, and Annick’s grandma took over, managing to take hold of her legs and pull her halfway out of the car. They were both so angry. Why were they doing this? She needed to scream. She needed to…

Annick looked down at her fists and tried to concentrate. It took all her energy, but they started to glow faintly blue, and her grandma stopped wrestling with her legs to stare in shock and fear.

Annick laughed, eyes wild, and willed herself to go deeper. To concentrate. To just make something happen, so she could scream or run--or hop--at the first chance she got.

The door behind her opened and she was grabbed by rough, unfamiliar hands.

She finally screamed then, a shrill and guttural sound, and she uselessly kicked her legs out, still bound. Someone had wrapped their arms around her, pinning her arms to her chest in the process, and the sheer strength of the person nearly winded her. She couldn’t fill her lungs and she was starting to feel lightheaded.

More hands grabbed her, this time at her legs, and they walked her to a white, sterile building. She tried to scream but her lungs were too constricted. They didn’t need to grab her so tightly.

“G-guys! Help!” She wasn’t sure why she called her grandparents for help. Maybe it was just a gut reaction, or maybe she hoped that they would change their minds, that they would save her.

They had sent her away before, but not like this. They told her they wanted to  _ help _ her. So, why was it different now? Why had they tied her up and grabbed her? Was that even her medication she’d taken last night? Had they drugged her?

They stood side by side against the car and Annick couldn’t get a good look at their faces.

She wriggled, using her last bit of strength, and it was enough to get the people--nurses?--to stop walking. Her fists started to glow again and she had almost gotten her legs free when a third nurse burst through the front doors, syringe in hand.

“No! No! No! No!” Annick rasped, and she vaguely registered the feeling of tears on her cheeks.

“Klaus, help! Dad!”

She felt the needle go in. Her grandparents looked away.

“Dad… dad…” Her eyelids fluttered. The lights in her vision dimmed. The faces went fuzzy.

“Dad… help… daddy…”

She floated. The last thing she he ard was the click of the front doors as they closed after her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry.
> 
> CW for manipulation and gaslighting, mentions of psychosis and delusions, mental hospitals, mental illness. I’m not sure how else to warn of this, but basically yeah there’s some upsetting mental hospital encounters. Take care of yourselves <3


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa, so it's been almost a month since I last updated. So sorry for the delay! School has been very busy and I'm coming up on midterms now, but we're in the final stretch of this fic now so I will do my best to update more regularly!  
> Welp, enjoy this one! No content warnings for this chapter except for stigma surrounding mental illness, depictions of mental hospitals, and tooth-rotting fluff in the beginning of the chapter. Dave deserves some love, man.

Klaus hadn’t slept. He was used to that, but normally he would have at least  _ tried  _ to go to sleep. Instead, he had currently been sitting at the tiny kitchen table for hours, not bothering to try to doze off because he knew it wouldn’t work. Who knows exactly how long he’d been there.

All he remembered was that it was pitch black outside when he’d first sat down, and now the sun had started to rise and he could hear the morning birds, a telltale sign of the beginning of spring. His spine screamed in protest when he stretched his back over the plastic chair and he groaned at the sensation before bringing his nearly burnt-out cigarette to his lips.

He vaguely remembered Allison leaving just before the sun came up. She had said something to him, but he couldn’t recall what it was in his zombie-like haze. When had he last properly slept, again?

His head felt stuffy. Klaus gently rubbed his temple, cigarette still perched delicately between his fingers, and he winced when he got a little too close to his eye. It looked like the bruises were starting to heal, but they still looked pretty gnarly and one of his eyes was still filled with blood. Not his cutest look.

It had been over a day now without a word from Annick. Klaus didn’t expect her to show up, given that his little conversation with her grandmother the day before had made it pretty clear that she wasn’t going to get away from them easily. Still, he watched the door sometimes, waiting for her obnoxious knocks. The night had come and gone, and the apartment was silent.

Klaus finished his cigarette, squinting as a particularly bright ray of sunlight pierced through the open window in the kitchen. He watched as little flecks of dust danced in the light and the smoke from his cigarette floated in ghostly trails.

He stubbed it out in the little bowl on the table in front of him, exhaling long and slow, and fumbled through the pack for his fourth one that sitting.

He could call Diego, he thought. Diego was sort of chummy with some of the people at the police station. At least, he used to be. They would definitely remember him. Well, maybe there were some hurt feelings there now, with his ex-girlfriend working there and all. And Klaus was pretty sure Diego was tired of doing him favours.

He drew a frustrated breath in, welcoming the burn, and tipped his head back over the chair as he let it out with a low groan.

A woman was crying outside, close by, but Klaus didn’t look. He’d heard her before, usually at the same time of day. She liked to wake him up screaming and sobbing and clutching at her bleeding stomach as she pleaded in frantic Ukrainian.

If Klaus were brave, he could have tried asking the woman if she had seen Annick or her grandparents. But brave was never his jurisdiction. It was never even on his radar.

He had tried not to consider the possibility that Annick might not even want to see him anymore. The last time he’d seen her, they had gotten in a pretty bad fight and he hadn’t gotten the chance to tell her how he really felt. Allison and Dave knew, sure, but they weren’t the ones who needed to hear it. And here he was, sitting in his kitchen, not going after her. Not doing  _ anything _ . So typical of him.

So, it was possible that Annick didn’t even know he wanted her, and the thought made Klaus’ stomach knot. To believe that you were just abandoned. To believe that you’re not wanted, not loved… He knew. He understood, and he never wanted Annick to feel that way.

Klaus draped a hand over his face to cover his eyes.  _ Hello _ . He folded his knees to his chest and reached out to blindly flick his ashes into the bowl, sighing loudly. The woman was  _ still _ screaming. She was coming closer, too, and Klaus simply kept his sore eyes shut as he waited. Four cigarettes hadn’t done much to calm his nerves.

“Smoking in the house, are we?”

Klaus chuckled breathily, keeping his hand over his eyes, and he took a greedy drag.

“I cracked the window.” He shrugged, “You forget what you used to be like.”

Warm fingers combed their way through his hair and down under the collar of his shirt. With his head still tipped back, skyward, he wanted to open his eyes and smile and laugh,  _ tee hee, morning darling, everything is absolutely, positively fine _ , but he couldn’t fake it this time. If he removed his hand, he would just lose it and the tears would spill.

Dave pressed a soft kiss to his forehead before stiffening and placing the back of his hand where his lips had just been.

“Gosh--it’s freezing in here, babe.” He shuddered, “You okay? You feel a little warm.”

Klaus moved his hand then to look up at Dave, but Dave had already dashed over to shut the window. Klaus sat up and tipped his head forward, grimacing and groaning at the audible crunch in his neck. His joints ached.

“Annick didn’t come home.” Klaus said, rubbing his neck with his free hand. He had let the word slip out without thinking, but he supposed Dave wouldn’t think anything of it.  _ Home _ … it didn’t sound too wrong.

“I know.” Dave muttered, “I’ve been checking for amber alerts and so far I’ve seen nothing.” He stole Klaus’ cigarette and took a short puff. He curled his nose and sniffed harshly, “Awh, god. No wonder I quit.”

Klaus laughed, coughing slightly. “You’re not fooling anyone, Davey.”

Dave flashed him a look and planted himself in the seat across from him, passing him the cigarette back like it was a bag of dog shit.

“There wouldn’t be an amber alert…” Klaus continued, “She’s with her grandparents, and I’m assuming they have legal custody of her.”

He paused, and blinked at the window, “I don’t know what to do… I have no idea where they took her or if she even  _ wants _ to see me.”

“She does.” Dave said quickly and reached for his hand, “She wanted to meet us, to explain something.”

Klaus’ hand went stiff under Dave’s. He neglected his cigarette, “What? When? Did she tell you that?”

Dave nodded mutely. He looked pensive, and he kept drifting his gaze to the table. “It was weird… I thought it was just a weird dream, but I think she…” He waved his hands vaguely as he searched for the words, “...contacted me, somehow.”

“Umm…  _ what? _ Please start making sense right now?”

Dave sat back in his chair, folding his cardigan around himself as he tried to recall, “I was dreaming, but the radio started speaking to me. It was her voice, definitely. I think she somehow spoke to me  _ through _ the radio.”

Klaus’ face twisted in confusion and he tipped his head. “Wait, what? Like, she went on a radio station just to talk to you?” He couldn’t help but laugh a little at the absurdity.

“No, no…” Dave shook his head and Klaus realized he was serious. “I think she  _ used _ the radio to talk to me. It shut off right after she stopped. It was almost like she was speaking through the sound waves, or something.”

Well that didn’t make much sense. Klaus had gathered that she most likely had powers like his, but speaking through sound waves wasn’t something he could ever do. Then again, he had spent about twenty years repressing his abilities, so who really knew what he could do? That brought a shiver up his spine and he stifled it with a final lengthy drag of his cigarette.

“So…” Klaus blinked harshly, rubbing the space between his eyes, but careful not to irritate his bruises, “What did she say, then?”

Dave puckered his lips to the side in thought, “She said that she needed to talk to me, to explain herself. And she said that she couldn’t get to us yet, but she would soon.”

Soon? What did that mean? How soon? Where? Klaus had so many questions. What sort of explanation did she have for him? He hoped that her over-protective grandparents and her mysterious age were on her list, if she had one.

He brought his hands to his hair and scratched, tugging a little too harshly, just enough to hurt. He hated this. What was he supposed to do? Did Annick expect him to come after her, or to wait? And if she could talk through radio waves or whatever, why hadn’t she spoken to him? He hated being so useless. Powerless. Fuck, his head felt heavy.

“Hey, hey…” Dave whispered, and pulled his hands away from his hair, “It’ll be okay, come on.”

Klaus shook his head, not meeting his eyes. There was no way for Dave to know that. The woman outside started to scream again and Klaus stiffened with the sudden urge to yell at her.

“I’m okay.” Klaus said through his teeth. He took a deep breath and tried again, “I’m okay. I just hate being so useless, that’s all.”

He finally met Dave’s eyes, and Dave smiled at him sadly, “I know.” He said, “Trust me, I know. But you’re not, Klaus.”

Klaus tried to huff a scoff through his nose and flinched slightly. He’d almost forgotten about the painful splint there. “Thank you…” He mumbled, and offered Dave a tiny smile.

Dave was looking down at the table, chin in his hand. His eyes were far away, somewhere. Klaus wasn’t sure where he’d gone.

“You okay?” Klaus asked softly. Dave flicked his eyes at him, almost startled, and a small half-smile tugged at his lips.

“Yeah, I think so.” He shrugged, and his eyes drifted again, “I’m just… I dunno.”

It was hard for Dave to talk about himself, Klaus knew that. He had a talent for deflecting and pretending everything was fine, and Klaus supposed he hadn’t really helped with that. He was almost always going through  _ something _ , so Dave latched onto that opportunity to help him with whatever it was, often putting his own problems on the backburner. Klaus had gotten good at peeling away Dave’s layers, though. And right now something was definitely bothering him.

“Dave...” He pressed, gently, “Please talk to me.”

Dave smiled at him, but he still looked sad. Klaus hopped off his chair, clapping his hand over the table, and reached out to him.

“C’mon, let’s sit on the couch.”

Dave obliged and they moved across the room. Dave sat down first and made space for Klaus under his arm, but Klaus shooed him away and sat against the arm of the couch, holding his arms out for Dave to lean against his chest. Dave positioned himself between Klaus’ legs and sank into him mutely, pressing his back against Klaus’ chest and warming him up instantly. Klaus wrapped his arms under Dave’s and tugged the wool blanket off the back of the couch, draping it over them.

He rested his chin on Dave’s shoulder and started to feel sleepy for the first time in hours, but fought it. “Okay. So what’s going on?”

Dave’s chest rose and fell with a deep sigh and his throat clicked as he swallowed. It took him a few moments to speak, and when he did he was quiet.

“Just feeling a bit frustrated, I suppose.”

Klaus knocked their heads together gently, prodding, “Why?”

“Just… Well, I guess I’m feeling kind of similar to you. Useless, or whatever.”

Klaus nodded, listening.

Dave sighed again, relaxing against him a little more, and Klaus traced his lips over his shoulder. “I wasn’t there to help when I should have been. I couldn’t protect you guys, so I…” He drew in a nervous breath, “So I failed. I screwed up.”

“Oh, Dave…” Klaus frowned, “You don’t really believe that, right?” Dave had gone silent, so Klaus continued, “Okay, first of all, you need to go easier on yourself. You don’t need to be our  _ knight in shining armour _ all the time.”

Dave shook his head, stifling a broken laugh. He laced their fingers together over his chest. “I know, I know… it’s just-”

“Second of all, what about me? Aren’t I supposed to share some of that responsibility? What did you think you were signing up for when you married me, dude?”

“Alright, alright…” Dave chided, and Klaus kissed the side of his head. Klaus wasn’t sure how much he was really helping, so he decided to keep going, more seriousness in his voice this time.

“Listen… None of this was your fault.” He paused. Dave traced the letters on his palms idly. “I wish there was some way I could convince you that you don’t need to be constantly taking care of everyone else to be  _ strong _ . Because you  _ are _ the strongest person I know, and it’s not because you’re good at listening, or being helpful, or all those wonderful things you do. It’s because you’re  _ Dave _ . You’re unbearably kind, and sensitive, and just beautiful  _ you _ …”

Dave tipped his head back on Klaus’ shoulder to look at him, and Klaus chewed his lip. Dave’s eyes were a little glossy, so Klaus turned to humor, lightly punching his arm.

“And I won’t have you dissing my favourite person, okay?!”

Dave laughed then, admiration and love all over his face, “The strongest person you know, huh? But how many people do you know who aren’t emotionally stunted?”

Klaus whacked him harder this time. “Knock it off!”

Dave laughed genuinely, finally. He held his hands up in surrender and shook his head. Klaus’ stomach fluttered at the sound of his laugh.

“Hey…” He began with a sudden urgency, and Dave turned around to face him, registering the change in tone, “I’m gonna find her. I’m just--I’m figuring it out. I just have to be brave, I guess.”

He tried to sound strong, but his voice still wobbled a little, going quieter at the end. He knew Dave wouldn’t comment on it, anyway. Dave simply watched him as he spoke and nodded his head, eyes searching.

“You  _ are _ brave, Klaus.”

He said it with so much sincerity and Klaus had to battle his own thoughts that tried to tell him otherwise.  _ That’s not true _ , they said.  _ He’s lying _ , and,  _ He doesn’t know the real you. Still, after all these years. You’re still a coward _ .

Klaus averted his eyes to the door and bit back tears with a fierce stubbornness. Dave definitely noticed, because he turned himself around and kissed him gently on the cheek. Klaus closed his eyes against the sensation and turned his face towards Dave, catching his lips.

They tangled themselves together as they kissed. Not rushing, but reveling in the closeness. Klaus would find Annick, just as he’d said. Cops and grandparents be damned. He could conjure a few ghosts and ask them if they’d seen her or anyone who might have been her, and he would just go from there, just as he always did. Tackle one problem first and move on to the next one if he was successful. There was no time to plan ahead, and even if he bothered to, the future with Annick was so uncertain to begin with. But he knew one thing for sure, and that was that she had looked for him on her own. She wanted to find him. She needed him and Dave, and Klaus needed her.

Everything was different around her. She challenged him--sometimes in ways that made him want to punch a wall, but that was sort of a given when it came to being a parent, he guessed. And he actually welcomed the challenges. No one had stepped in for him when he was her age, struggling with substance abuse and powers he was terrified of and didn’t fully understand.

Klaus could give Annick that support he never got, at least until she got back on her own two feet, and then if she never wanted to speak to him again, he would have to be okay with that. His absence in her life probably hurt her greatly, and he had to be ready for whatever came next.

But at least, for now, he could give her that chance to have a parent who cared about her, who helped her with her powers. She was already giving him the chance to do better, to  _ be _ better, and Klaus had almost missed it.

His eyes stung with unshed tears and he considered just letting them fall, if only to prevent more pain in his eyes.

They parted for air, and Dave swiped his thumbs under his eyes, so gently Klaus hardly felt it, and he draped an arm over Klaus’ shoulders, pulling him in for another kiss.

The front door swung open and they both jumped. Klaus’ head shot up lightning-fast and he was met with Allison’s cheery face in the doorway. She cringed upon seeing them and tiptoed into the room, apologizing quietly.

Klaus leapt off the couch, giving Dave’s chest a few good pats, and rushed over to his sister.

“Did you see Annick out there? Or her grandparents--did they come back?”

Allison shook her head apologetically. Klaus’ face dropped but Allison nudged him excitedly, tapping his chin until he lifted his gaze.

“Chin up, I brought doughnuts!” She held out a bag from Griddy’s and Klaus’ eyes widened upon seeing it. He took it gratefully, pecking her on the cheek, and she stopped him before he moved to sit back down.

“Also, this came for you? I just checked the mail on my way in.” She held out a white envelope and Klaus took it with unsteady hands.

Dave appeared behind him and Klaus tore open the envelope, anxiety prickling at his lungs. He pulled out a folded sheet of paper and muttered to himself as he read it. He froze.

“What? What is it?” Allison asked.

“It’s, uh…” Klaus blinked, squeezing his eyes shut, “It’s a court date, for me. They want to investigate the kidnapping charge.”

“Oh, shit…” Dave breathed.

“Yeah.”

“Klaus, you need to find her.” Allison said. He nodded urgently.

Time to be brave.

__

  
  


The lights were on when she awoke early in the morning. They lit up the already too-white, too-cold room, and Annick had thought for a few moments that she’d gone to heaven. It didn’t freak her out as much as she expected it to.

She’d been successfully tonguing the pills the staff had given her, just waiting for the drugs they had injected her with the night before to filter out of her system. She requested a cold shower, since apparently she had to request everything here, but they denied her. It was a waiting game, then.

Annick was curled up on her bed--well, the  _ hospital’s _ bed. Calling it  _ her _ bed was too permanent--when she started to notice them creeping in again.

One of them fluttered into existence in the hallway, and she’d only been able to recognize it as non-living by the blood that poured from its neck. Her stomach tightened and she shut her eyes, rocking herself gently. She had to do it. She had to muster up the courage to talk to one of them, only for a few minutes. That was all she needed. But she wasn’t strong enough yet.

It was later in the morning when she saw another one. She was supposed to be drawing, or crafting, or something stupid like that while she waited for her first one-on-one counselling session. She joked with herself that she’d rather die, but stifled that thought upon seeing the pale girl who drifted into the room.

The girl couldn’t have been much older than her. It looked like she was wearing pyjamas or sweatpants, similar to the clothes the staff had given Annick upon her “arrival”, and she was wearing a pair of uniform slippers Annick recognized from commissary. Was that what it was called, or was that just a prison thing? Sure felt like a prison.

The girl was thin, she noticed. Her long hair was tangled and neglected, falling into her chalky face and casting shadows that made her look more like a typical ghost than the gory ones did. She wore a blank expression as her eyes moved lazily about the room, sluggish. Annick was only sure she was a ghost because she hadn’t seen her anywhere before. Well, that and she passed through the freaking wall on her way in.

Annick looked over her shoulder at the nurse sitting against the opposite wall. His nose was in a rather thick book and he looked like he was invested in it. Not that it mattered, anyway. Annick didn’t think anyone would raise questions here if she started talking to the air.

She whipped her head in the girl’s direction and whistled once, or tried to. She wasn’t very good at it. The girl heard her, regardless, and did a double-take.

“Psst,” Annick nudged her head, “C’mere.” She wasn’t sure why she was whispering. There were a few other people in the room, but none of them had looked at her.

The girl stared at her for a while, considering it, and her wide blue eyes covered Annick’s body in goosebumps. When she finally walked towards Annick’s table, she dragged her feet on the floor and took her time, arms heavy at her sides.

Annick tried to grin at her but was only able to pull the skin around her mouth in a mock-smile. She was sure she looked like a maniac, but she was shaking with fear and unable to smile genuinely. It was fine, anyway. If there was any place she could get away with looking like a maniac, it was there.

The girl drifted next to the table and stopped, staring down at Annick with piercing eyes. Annick gulped and gestured a hand at the chair opposite her, nudging it away from the table with her foot.

“S-sit down?”  _ Could _ she sit down, or would she just fall through? Her question was answered when the girl lowered herself onto the chair. Her eyes were fixed on Annick’s the whole time, unmoving. The gauntness of her face made her eyes appear unnaturally large, and Annick thought she looked a bit like a cartoon skeleton, like maybe from that movie...  _ The Corpse Bride _ , she remembered. She’d loved that movie as a kid, before she started seeing the dead and couldn’t bear to watch it anymore.

There were no visible marks on the girl. No bruises, no cuts, nothing at all. It made Annick feel more uneasy than the ghosts with the gaping wounds and missing limbs, in a weird inexplicable way.

Annick cleared her throat, trying to find her voice. She whispered, “Um… I’m Annick. What’s yuh...your name?”

The girl didn’t speak. She didn’t even blink.

Annick swallowed again, blinking harshly. Looking at the girl made her eyes feel dry. “Um, okay… Well, is it cool if I ask you for a favour?”

Silence. Cold, blue eyes.

“I… Listen.” Annick took a breath, finding her strength. She turned her head from side to side, just checking. “I’m not supposed to be here. I need to see my dad, okay? I promised I would explain everything to him.”

The girl finally moved, folding her arms across her chest silently.

“I need to ask you to send a message to him.” She shifted nervously, “Please.”

The girl watched her for a while. Suddenly, all noise in the room seemed unnaturally loud. Annick could hear the clock ticking away high on the wall, and soon the sound of her own heartbeat registered in her ears. Her face pinched and she closed her eyes and ducked her head, feeling ill.

“Okay.”

She looked up, blinking. “What? You’ll do it?”

The girl’s jaw was tight. Annick could see the hinges of it moving under her thin skin. She didn’t move or speak after that, and Annick squinted at her, wondering momentarily if she was a hologram that had frozen. That would have been funny, in a sad and kind of fucked up way.

She took one more glance around the room and straightened up in her seat. Five minutes to go until her appointment. She smiled at the girl gratefully, and talked.

__

  
  


There was something blocking him. That’s what it was, yeah. Why else was he unable to conjure any ghosts?

It was cruel, and a little funny. They screamed and followed him around all the time, but the  _ one _ time he actually needed them, they were magically nowhere to be seen.

“Maybe it’s a mental block?” Allison had suggested a while ago, matching his thoughts, “Try clearing your mind.”

The only way Klaus knew how to  _ clear his mind _ was with the help of drugs, and that wasn’t going to happen. He’d grown used to having his mind clouded with fear and voices and doubt. Clearing it seemed impossible. Still, he knew he had to try.

He was sitting on the circular rug in front of the couch, legs crossed and barefoot. Behind him, Allison and Dave watched silently in the kitchen. Well, they did for about three minutes before they started to whisper.

Klaus took a deep breath, placing his hands on his knees and attempting to concentrate. What did he need to do, again? It had been ages since he’d actually tried to  _ purposefully _ meet a ghost.

Someone whispered, the other shushed them.

Klaus groaned and craned his neck in the direction of the kitchen, “I can hear you guys! What part of  _ I need to concentrate _ do you not understand?”

They apologized, shuffling about awkwardly, and Klaus sighed.

“Thank you, I love you both.” He blew them a kiss and turned around before quickly facing them again, “Sorry.”

If this didn’t work, then what? Conjuring a bunch of ghosts was the plan. Klaus had decided he wasn’t going to plan ahead beyond that, so if it didn’t work then he was kind of fucked.  _ No _ . He would come up with a different gameplan. He always could. He was smart like that.

He shrugged bashfully at his own thoughts, and smirked.  _ Aww. Thanks, me. You’re welcome, me! _

Positive reinforcement was important. He’d spent a long, long time not believing that, but he saw how it worked for the rest of his siblings and Dave. It was just hard to use it on himself, but he was slowly getting there. Emphasis on the  _ slowly _ .

He took a few slow, deep breaths, and a cough tickled his throat. He felt like proper shit, for some reason. His head still felt like it was filled with hot water and his whole body had started to ache. He shivered as a sudden chill took over him, and it didn’t go away.

_ Concentrate _ . His eyes were still closed, and his forehead crinkled as he attempted to reach into the ether. He could feel them, not far away. The tug in the back of his head and in his gut. It was a tether he’d felt for as long as he could remember, sometimes only slightly, and sometimes with painful intensity. It was unfortunately still there when he was high, but it felt more like a wind blowing him around.

Sobriety was terrifying, and vulnerable. He almost never felt safe and comfortable, thanks in part to that particular tug. Sometimes it felt like his guts were being pulled around and he had to remind himself that there was no way that was happening. Still, the tug meant something worse. It meant that they were close by. That he couldn’t run and hide. That he had to brace himself. He never got used to it.

The tug was in his whole body this time, and it pulled him forwards on the floor like a magnet. His breath picked up and he heard the floor creak behind him as Allison and Dave moved closer, likely noticing how he tensed.

His hands went clammy and he fisted at his jeans over his knees, breathing through trembling lips now. He tried to calm him mind, to prepare himself for whatever he was about to see. It didn’t matter. It was always different, and he could never be fully prepared.

Reluctantly, Klaus peeled his eyes open. He startled and reeled back, slamming into the couch and causing it to scoot back as he let out a sharp yelp.

“ _Shit_! Jesus _fuck_!” He cursed, hand on his chest.

A young girl was sitting across from him, crouched with her knees under her chin. She was terribly thin and pale, and her matted hair covered her fragile frame like a cape.

She didn’t react to him. Instead, she just stared him down with wide, pale eyes, unblinking. Her lips were sealed tight, thin and purple, and Klaus thought for a moment that they had been glued that way.

“Did it work?” Dave asked from behind the couch, “Is one of them here?”

Klaus and the girl spoke at the same time,

“Y-yeah.”

“Yes,  _ one of them _ is here.”

The girl tore her eyes from Klaus’ for only a moment to look up at Dave with malice.

Klaus’ breathing had not calmed, he realized, so he took a moment to try and even it out. He shut his eyes but he knew the girl was looking at him now, so that didn’t help much in calming him down.

He gulped, voice trembling, “Okay. I need your help with something-”

“No.”

Klaus sputtered, “No? Can you just… like, hear me out for a second?” He hoped he didn’t sound as desperate as he felt.

The girl watched him silently. She took a few moments before she spoke, “Are you Annick’s dad? You look enough alike.”

Klaus nodded mutely, albeit confused. How did she know Annick?

The girl tipped her chin, “I have a message for you, then.”

Klaus frowned. He leaned forward.

“Annick says she’s sorry and that she misses you.”

Klaus swallowed but it didn’t ease the dry ache in his throat. He nodded, worrying his bottom lip.

“She says she’s sorry she lied. She wanted you to know she lied about her age and is actually sixteen, and that she ran away from her grandparents to find you. And she wanted you to know that she can prove your innocence to the cops, or whatever.”

“What are they saying?” Asked Allison.

“It’s okay, I don’t care about that…” Klaus said to the girl, holding a hand out to Allison behind him as if to say ‘hang on’, “Is she okay? Where is she?”

“Oh, yeah.” The girl clicked her tongue, looking rather bored and tired, “She’s in the psych ward at Lakeview. She said her grandparents put her there.”

“The psych ward…?”

His father had thought about putting him in a place like that once, before deciding against it. It was too public, he’d said. People would recognize him and that would darken the scathing black mark Klaus had already created over his father’s precious image.

The thought of Annick being stuck in a place like that against her will sent a wave of nausea through him first, and then his body vibrated with deep, bubbling rage.

“Yeah, they tied her up or something, and drugged her.”

“Did she say anything else?” Klaus asked, jaw tight, trying to keep calm.

The girl shook her head slowly. “She just kept saying she was sorry.”

Klaus felt a twinge of pain in his chest and he rubbed it with his knuckles, staring at the floor. His fists shook and he grinded his teeth involuntarily, breath hitching.

“Thank you.” He looked the girl in the eyes even though it scared him, but she wasn’t so terrifying the longer he looked at her. She was just a teenager, not covered in blood and gore, and Klaus could now see the exhaustion behind her eyes.

“What’s your name?” He asked. He wasn’t sure why.

The girl finally blinked, and her gaze drifted as if she were thinking very hard about it, trying to remember, perhaps. “Katelyn.” She said after a moment, like taking a breath after being forced to hold it for ages.

Klaus nodded to her and smiled, though it probably looked more like a grimace, “Thank you, Katelyn. You did a really good job.”

She went quiet, returning to that cold stare, and Klaus caught her shy smile before she vanished.

He closed his eyes against the nauseating feeling of the tether pulling away, like a hair from the back of his throat, and he shuddered. He was still freezing.

“Klaus?” A voice asked from behind him.

“She’s gone.” He said, and stood up slowly. He was still shaking, and he squeezed his eyes shut against his dizzying anger. His insides were boiling.

“Annick’s in the psych ward.”

They were both at his side in seconds.

“What?” Dave asked, “How?”

Klaus’ legs moved then, and he snatched the first coat he could find from the closet in the hall--his black trenchcoat, definitely not warm enough for the weather, but he couldn’t care less.

“Her grandparents drugged her and put her there.” He explained, voice level and low. It sounded alien coming from himself.

“Oh, god…” Allison brought a hand to her mouth.

“I’m going after her.” Klaus said as he tugged on his boots. He grabbed the car keys from their bowl with an angry swoop of his arm and made his way out the door.

They piled into the car and Klaus all but threw himself into the front seat. He caught Dave’s wary eyes for a second and dismissed him with a confident nod. Dave squeezed his arm and nodded in agreement, but he still looked worried.

Klaus didn’t drive much. He  _ could _ drive, but he chose not to a long time ago. It was too easy to get distracted. His eyes often caught on horrifying… things, wandering beside the road, and when that didn’t happen he was usually dodging people who weren’t really there.

Turning the keys, Klaus decided he didn’t care this time around. He was blind with rage and determination and he had no time to argue with himself.

“Klaus?” Allison asked from her seat behind Dave. He could feel her eyes on him but he said nothing as he stomped on the gas pedal.

Dave gripped the handle above his window as he yelped, left hand coming to grab Klaus’ forearm with the grip of a bear trap. “So what’s the plan?” He shouted over the over-exerted whirr of the engine.

Klaus grinned, but his eyes were steel. He caught Allison’s gaze in the rearview mirror and she gave him that same look of determination. God, he had the best sister.

The wheels screeched as he hit every turn hard, only then registering just how fast he was going. Screw a plan. He was going to bust Annick out of there, that was the plan. He would take full responsibility for whatever happened next, even if that meant going to prison.

He could feel the walls of the car closing in and he gripped the steering wheel tight, trying to ground himself. He could hear them. The ghosts, shrieking in his young face.

He shook his head once, violently. He had to stay present. He wasn’t going to let Annick stay in that place. As long as she was safe and Dave and Allison were safe, he would be okay.

He focused on the road ahead.

__

  
  


They had come to see her just after her counselling session, which had gone about as productively as she’d let it.

Annick had sat down with them like she was told but refused to look their way.

“How are you feeling?” Her grandmother asked.

She flinched and brought a knee to her chest. She was sitting sideways on the chair, both arms over the back of it, gripping the plastic tightly.

“I want to see Klaus.”

She could hear them shuffle in their seats, and her grandpa sighed.

“You know we can’t let you do that.”

“And why the hell not?” She turned to face them on reflex and quickly returned her gaze to the large metal doors across the room.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see them exchange a glance. They looked frustrated, impatient. Why the hell were  _ they _ frustrated?

“Can I at least just talk to him?” She muttered, but she tried to sound brave, “Am I allowed to do  _ that _ ?”

“Your attitude is not helping you right now.” Her grandpa bit, and she glared at the wall.

Her grandma shuffled in her chair, silencing him and leaning across the table. “Ann, look at me.”

Annick sniffed and kept her eyes stubbornly on the wall. There were a few other people in the room who were sharing tables with guests. Parents, it looked mostly like. She was in the youth ward, after all.

A girl was laughing and the two people who sat across from her laughed with her. A man and a woman. She looked like them, olive skinned and black haired. She hugged the man, her dad, probably, and Annick had to close her eyes and look away.

She had nowhere else to look, so she reluctantly shifted her eyes to her grandmother.

Her grandma smiled but it looked forced.

“I’m so sorry, Ann…” She began, and Annick frowned in confusion. “He doesn’t want to see you anymore.”

Annick shifted in her seat to face them. “What? How do you know that? Did you talk to him?”

She nodded, and Annick’s stomach dropped.

“I did speak with him, yes. He’s…” She paused, and exchanged a wordless glance with her husband, “It doesn’t matter, anyway. He’s a criminal, and it’s not good for you to be around him.” She said the last sentence with finality in a hushed whisper, but the sound was so sharp and angry that she may as well have just been shouting.

Annick shook her head, staring wide-eyed at the table. “No… no… he’s not. I just… I shouldn’t have ran away. I shouldn’t have said those things.” She started to shake, and her body went cold as she brought her hands to her scalp, “Why did I say that? He was trying to--to  _ help _ me, to comfort me, and I told him this was all his fault.  _ Why did I say that _ ?!”

Her grandma reached for her arm across the table and Annick flinched away. She was crying now, and her grandparents looked at her with pity. She wanted to flip the table.

“Well, whatever you said to him…” Her grandpa spoke slowly, “Maybe you just made him mad?”

“It’s not your fault, Ann.” Her grandma interjected, and Annick snarled at her,

“Stop calling me that!”

“Now, calm down-” Said her grandpa. They both rose in their chairs.

“No! Don’t tell me what to do!”

Two nurses had started to make their way towards her, and she silenced herself upon noticing them. She didn’t want them to drug her again. She needed to get out of there. Now.

She looked back at her grandparents’ pale faces. They were both holding their hands out in defense, foreheads slick with sweat.

“You’re scared of me.” She said dryly. It wasn’t a question.

They immediately moved to console her, speaking over each other.

“No, no, Ann. We’re  _ worried _ about you.”

“Have you been taking your pills?”

She laughed through her nose, but it came out sounding more like a sob. Of course that’s what they were concerned about.

She stared her grandma in the eyes and watched as her face went from-- _ false _ \--concern to anger in a matter of seconds. Her grandma cleared her throat and corrected herself, though, softening her face before she spoke,

“Well, no wonder he’s avoiding you now. Do you think that maybe he’s afraid of you?”

Annick frowned, shocked. Afraid of her? Klaus wasn’t  _ afraid _ of her.

She recalled the way he held his palms up when she snapped at him on their walk, and she crumpled into herself with grief.  _ Hello,  _ Annick _. Goodbye,  _ Annick _. _

She had hoped Klaus could help her. She thought he was the only person who stood a chance of truly understanding  _ her _ , and her powers, and that maybe he could teach her to control them. And maybe, somewhere along the way, they could be a proper family and she would finally be wanted and loved, like she’d been promised she was over and over again by false smiles and cold hugs.

She’d been so careless. It was too late, now. Klaus was afraid of her, just like her grandparents were. The one person in the world who she thought could understand her, and he didn’t want to see her anymore because  _ she _ had messed it all up.

Annick shook in her chair and a feeling of panic swelled inside her, starting in the pit of her stomach and spreading through her veins, burning. At least, she thought it was panic. She could feel it in every one of her blood vessels, and it vibrated her body like an electric shock building from deep, deep down. Her fists began to glow blue.

“Now, Ann…” Her grandpa said warily.

They both held their arms out, backing away just enough that Annick noticed.

She couldn’t contain it. She couldn’t stop it. It crawled under her skin, rippling and twisting, and the room suddenly filled with dozens of new faces. Pale, bloodied, hollow faces. They were ghastly, horrifying. Some were missing eyes, or had holes in their heads, and some of them were bleeding all over the floor, howling and moaning into the ether.

Her grandparents twirled around the room in surprise, and her grandma screamed. She covered her face with her thin fingers, and her grandpa backed away several paces, waving his arms out in front of him to ward off the agonized spirits.

Annick’s chest heaved impossibly fast and strong, and she wondered absently if she was having a heart attack and this was the end. A sound crawled its way up her throat and it spilled through her pale lips, sending her bending forwards with the sheer force of it.

She was laughing. Cackling, really. High and free. The ghosts all looked at her, dropping their jaws as they screamed with her, melting into a symphony of shrieking laughs, and her grandparents backed into each other.

She didn’t know why she was laughing. She felt like screaming, really. Like screaming and sobbing, and collapsing into a broken bundle on the floor. But if she did that, the nurses would just scoop her up and inject her full of sedatives again. Her body tensed with the thought, and she felt that spreading feeling inside herself knocking on the door. It wanted to get out, be free.

The tables and chairs rattled as she laughed, and Annick finally gasped a loud breath in. Everything in the room levitated.

Her grandparents dodged the table and chairs as they lifted off the linoleum. One of the chairs went flying across the room and hit the far wall as Annick’s laughing grew more frantic, devolving into screams.

“Haven’t you been giving her the pills?” Her grandma shrieked at one of the nurses, who did not respond. They were too busy gaping at the ghastly new additions in the room.

Most of the people who’d been in the room with them had fled, but Annick’s grandparents stayed anchored in place. They looked at her with more fear in their eyes than she had ever seen.

She wanted to laugh again. She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream and scream, forever. It was so cruel. So fucked up.

Annick felt her feet leave the floor. She felt the air holding her. She felt the chill in the room that only occurred when the ghosts were closing in on her. She saw how her grandparents kept their eyes on her, raising their heads up and up and up, and she saw two nurses come in holding syringes.

Her eyes widened and she curled in on herself, hands over her ears, shrieking with the ghosts, and she felt every bit of the energy that crawled and burst out of her as it shifted the gravity in the room.


End file.
